Thomas and Twilight Creator Collective
by SonicPrime972
Summary: Compilation of stories made by a group of people called the Thomas Creator Collective, now with MLP characters. To check out the originals, look up the team on YouTube. Please leave reviews and enjoy. And before I go any further, all credit for the original storyline between "Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure" and "The Great Race" and onward goes to the TCC, as they're called.
1. Secrets of the Stolen Crown

**Ch. 1: Secrets of the Stolen Crown**

It was a busy day on the Island of Sodor. Thomas and Percy were heading across the island with two girls in their cabs. The girl in Thomas' cab had long purple hair streaked with lavender and rose wearing a lavender suit you might see a Japanese schoolgirl wearing. Her name was Taylor Sparkle, but since her hair was colored like the sky at twilight, she earned that as her nickname.

Percy was carrying a rather loony girl with him who had cotton candy-like pink hair, and bright pink clothes. Her name was Andrea Pie, but she earned the nickname Pinkie from her clothes and hair.

Thomas was going ahead and whistled back at Percy. "Come on, you two," he said. "We're going to be late." Percy was still confused.

"Are you sure this is the way to the museum?" he asked.

"Yeah, isn't it at Vicarstown?" asked Pinkie.

"No, that's the regular museum," said Twilight. "The treasure exhibition is at the maritime museum."

"Ohhhh," said Percy and Pinkie simultaneously. "What's a maritime museum anyway?" Thomas and Twilight giggled.

"No-no-no, seriously," said Pinkie. "What's maritime mean?"

"Pinkie, it's just a museum about the sea," said Thomas. "Now hurry up or we'll be late." He and Percy whistled loudly as they roared down the track.

Soon they arrived at the museum where Sir Topham Hatt was waiting with Marion, Skiff, James, Henry, Ryan and Salty.

"Ladies, gentlemen and engines," said the museum founder. "I am very pleased to welcome you to the opening of the Sodor Maritime Museum's latest treasure exhibition." Pinkie was curious about something as the founder kept speaking.

"What's Skiff doing here?" she asked Thomas quietly. "Didn't he help Sailor John take the treasure from Sir Topham Hatt?"

"No Pinkie," Thomas whispered back. "Sailor John made him do it. He even helped me stop him."

"Are you sure, Thomas?" asked Percy. "You know the old saying. 'Once a thief, always a thief'."

"I'd bet you clams to casino he's here to try and take the treasure again." said Pinkie.

"Don't be ridiculous, Pinkie," said Twilight. "Skiff's our friend, and we know he would never do something like that, right Thomas?" But Thomas had just directed his attention to another siding where Diesel 10 was sitting with a man in his late forties resting on his buffer beam.

He had reddish-brown eyes, dark grey hair tied behind his head, and a multicolored suit with facial hair that made him look like John de Lancie.

His name was Richard Cory, but he preferred to be called Discord for some strange reason. Sir Topham Hatt had hired him to drive Diesel 10 after the Dieselworks affair, which, to Thomas and the girls, was an enormous mistake. They had known Discord before he was hired and wherever he went, chaos followed.

"What are Diesel 10 and Discord doing here?" asked Thomas.

"I'd like to thank Sir Topham Hatt and his really useful engines for making this remarkable discovery," said the museum founder. "I'd particularly like to thank Marion, the railway steam shovel, who has made another extraordinary find. Marion?"

"Oh. Uh, is this my part?" asked the steam shovel. "My goodness, oh. What am I supposed to say again?"

"Calm down Marion," said Sir Topham Hatt. "Just tell everyone what you found etched into the bottom of the chest."

"Oh right. Of course," said Marion. "Well, uhh, when I accidentally poured the treasure on Thomas, very sorry about that, by the way, I noticed there was writing scratched into the bottom of the chest. A riddle or something of the sort."

"Indeed," said the founder. "And I believe this riddle may point to us in the direction of even more treasure."

"Aye matey," said Salty. "I once heard a rumor that Captain Callous stole the crown of the King of England and hid it somewhere on Sodor. But I always thought it was just a legend."

"That's what Emily, Thomas and I thought about those Flatbeds of Fear of yours, and look how that turned out," said Henry.

"Fair enough, but I heard that rumor too," said the founder. "I thought it was a lie too, but perhaps Captain Callous decided to hide his most valuable possessions separately in case his chest was ever found."

"Aye," said Salty. "Sounds like the sort of thing a clever pirate might do."

"Indeed. And now for the riddle," said the founder, flipping over the chest. "'Who is the one who is hiding my treasure. That isn't a question, it is the answer. But know that who is not who they seem. Their true source is hidden if you know what I mean. Follow their waters to where they do fall, and peer behind their watery wall. Then shift the rocks to find your prize, for behind one, my lost treasure lies'." Then Discord climbed into Diesel 10's cab and drove the large engine away.

"Where are they going?" Thomas asked himself.

"Now I'm not entirely sure what this riddle means," said the founder. "But since you engines are such crackerjack treasure hunters, I thought you might be able to help me out once again." Then Sir Topham Hatt cleared his throat.

"Uh yes, but perhaps when they're not busy doing their actual jobs," he said.

"Oh, of course." chuckled the founder.

"Speaking of which, back to it, you lot," said Sir Topham Hatt. "I'm sure you all have a lot to do today, so get to it." All the engines rumbled away back to work except for Thomas and Percy.

"See ya round, Twilight," said Pinkie, jumping into Percy's cab. "Percy and I have cars to shunt." But before Percy could leave, Thomas stopped him.

"Wait. Don't you think it's weird that Diesel 10 and Discord took off right after we heard the riddle?" he asked.

"I guess, but they probably have work to do, and so do we," said Twilight. "Now let's get to it."

"I doubt that, Twilight," said Thomas. "Have you ever actually seen them pulling a train?" Twilight was just about to open the regulator when he said that, so she paused to think.

"Now that you mention it, no." said Twilight.

"Well, I have a bad feeling in my boiler about this," said Thomas. "We should follow him and see what he's up to." With that, Thomas and Percy took off after Diesel 10.

At the Dieselworks, Diesel 10 had just arrived to find Arry and Bert arguing over something ridiculous. Thomas and Percy pulled up behind a few lines of rusty trucks to hide them.

"Honestly, can't you ever look presentable?" asked Arry.

"I'll have you know this stubble gives my chin some much-needed definition." said Bert.

"Friends, Diesels, weirdos," said Discord from Diesel 10's roof. "Lend me your ears."

"Didn't know we had ears," said Arry.

"I hear that," said Bert and laughed.

"Shut up, you two," said Diesel 10. "Discord and I were just at the Maritime Museum, and there's more treasure to be found. A crown, in fact. And I know the riddle that will lead us to it."

"So what do we care if there's a crown?" asked Arry. "Do you plan on wearing it?"

"Isn't it obvious?" asked Devious Diesel. "We're going to find that crown for the museum first, and prove once and for all that diesels are better than steamies."

"Yeah," said the diesels.

"This is our time to shine," said Dart.

"Now-now, let's not be so hasty, friends," said Discord. "Why give the crown to the museum? They already have that old box to keep them busy. We can keep the crown for ourselves."

"Ohh," said Arry. "So _you_ plan on wearing it."

"No!" said Discord. "But we could sell it on eBay. Think of the possibilities. With the amount of cash those morons on the internet will pay for it, we could get the premium fuel Sir Topham Hatt denied you. You deserve it."

"I can't believe they'd sell a priceless antique for a tanker of silly diesel oil," said Twilight.

"We could all get brand-new buffers," said Bert, looking at his bent buffers.

"Wouldn't mind a wash-down myself." said Diesel, looking at his dirty coat of black paint.

"A new paintjob and some polish would be nice." said Dart, looking at his peeling coat.

"Now you're getting the idea," said Discord. "Then it's settled; We'll find the crown before those idiotic steamies and their silly companions do. Today's gonna be a good day for diesels."

"We have to stop them from finding that crown, Thomas." said Percy.

"Then we'd better find it first," said Twilight. "Look, they're scheming. Now's as good a chance as any for a head start." Quickly, she backed Thomas out of the siding. Pinkie tried to follow suit, but she forgot to pull the reverser, so Percy bumped into some rusty oil tankers, making a loud bump and squeak.

"Uh-oh." he said.

"What was that?" asked Diesel 10.

"It would seem we have eavesdroppers." said Diesel.

"Arry, Bert, go check it out." said Discord.

"With pleasure, boss." said Bert and he and his twin rolled up to the siding where they were hiding.

"We have to get out of here." whispered Twilight.

"No Twilight, I have an idea," said Thomas. "Open all our valves. Let off all the steam we can afford to lose. Now." Twilight and Pinkie did so, creating a huge smokescreen of steam around the two tank engines. Once it was up, the two ran away as fast as their wheels would carry them. When the smokescreen died down, the diesels saw nothing out of the ordinary.

"Nothin' here, boss!" Arry hollered to Diesel 10.

"It must have been Thomas. He's a crafty one," said Discord, then he saw all the diesels looking at him. "What're you looking at? Back to work! I want that crown!" Thomas and Percy had turned around on the loop and were heading towards Ffarquhar.

"That was wayyyy too close," said Pinkie.

"Agreed. Good idea with that smokescreen Thomas." said Twilight.

"No argument here, but what do we do now?" asked Percy.

"We solve the riddle and beat the diesels to the crown." said Thomas.

"Right," said Pinkie. "How'd it go again?"

"'Who is the one who is hiding my treasure'." said Twilight.

"'That isn't a question. It is the answer'," finished Thomas. "Well, that makes no sense."

"'But know that who is not who they seem'," said Pinkie.

"'Their true source is hidden, if you know what I mean'?" finished Percy questioningly. "No, I don't know what you mean, Captain Callous. Pirates sure are tricky."

"Seriously," said Pinkie. "Why can't they just say 'Go to this place. Here's the treasure. Spend it wisely'?"

"Well, where's the fun in that?" asked Thomas.

"Fair enough," she replied. "Dang it, I forgot our place in the riddle."

"'Follow their waters to where they do fall'," said Percy.

"'And peer behind their watery wall'?" asked Thomas.

"Water? Fall?" said Pinkie.

"Watery wall?" said Twilight. Then the two snapped their fingers and looked at each other.

"A waterfall!" they said simultaneously.

"Oh yes, that sounds right." said Thomas.

"So… There's a waterfall, and the treasure is hidden behind it." said Percy.

"Brilliant. Well done, everyone." said Thomas. "We are clever."

"It must be the waterfall on Toby's branchline. Let's hurry." said Pinkie and she jammed Percy's regulator open. Then they heard shouting behind them.

"Thomas! Twilight!" it shouted.

"Skiff?" asked Twilight, looking behind them. Then the little rail-boat rolled up alongside them.

"There you are! I've been looking all over for you," he said.

"What are you doing out here, Skiff?" asked Thomas. "You shouldn't be on the main line, especially not in the middle of the day."

"I think I've solved the riddle." said Skiff.

"Too late. We already did," said Percy. "The crown is behind the waterfall on Toby's branchline. There, case closed."

"That's not what I was thinking," said Skiff.

"Well, where do you think the crown is, Skiff?" asked Thomas.

"'Who is the one who is hiding my treasure'," Skiff quoted from the riddle. "'Who' isn't a person, it's a river, as in the River Who. Sailor John and I sailed along it once."

"Oh yeah, that does make more sense." said Twilight.

"No, it doesn't," said Percy. "'Follow their waters to where they do fall'. That implies a waterfall, and there's no waterfall on the River Who."

"Yes, but the second line-" began Skiff.

"We're wasting our time listening to this nonsense," said Percy. "We have to find the crown before Discord does." Then he puffed away to Toby's branchline. Skiff was disappointed, but Thomas and Twilight felt sorry for him.

"Sorry Skiff," said Twilight. "We can check the River Who later."

"Oh, it's all right Twilight," said Skiff as he drifted in front of Thomas. "Maybe Percy's right. Let's find out." Thomas bumped into his back and started rolling after Percy.

"I'm not so sure," he said. Later, they arrived at Toby's branchline to find Splatter and Dodge waiting. It was obvious to Twilight that they hadn't found the crown yet, but they probably didn't know where to look. After Percy's crew checked behind the waterfall, they found the crown wasn't there, nor were any rocks it might be hidden behind.

"Maybe we should check the River Who," said Thomas. "I might have a pretty good idea of where the crown might be." Later, they arrived at an old mineshaft outside Great Waterton.

"Back when we were restoring Great Waterton, Twilight and I followed a runaway car down this old mineshaft," Thomas explained. "There's a lot of water down there."

"What does that have to do with the riddle?" asked Percy.

"Since the source of the River Who is never shown in any history books or maps, we can assume it's hidden," said Twilight. "And the riddle says 'But know that who is not who they seem. Their true source is hidden if you know what I mean'. Ipso Ergo, the water down this mine is the true source of the River Who."

"And the waterfall is inside," said Thomas. "Let's go."

"But it's so dark." said Percy.

"Don't worry about it, Percy," said Skiff, the wind blowing him into the mine. "The dark is nothing to be afraid of."

"And if you do get scared, just remember what Granny Pie says to do in a situation like this; just laugh." said Pinkie.

"Besides," said Thomas, Twilight turning on his lamp. "If you're a scaredy-engine, you can just wait for us here." Then he puffed in. Percy huffed as Pinkie turned on his lamp.

"I'm not scared," he said and puffed in as a cloud of bats flew out of the mine. After puffing into the mine, Thomas bumped into Skiff, who had stopped dead on the tracks.

"Ow! Skiff," he said.

"Sorry. No wind down a mine," said Skiff.

"Oh. No worries- OW! Hey!" said Twilight as Percy bumped into Thomas.

"Careful Percy." said Thomas.

"Are you guys sure it's safe down here?" asked Percy. "My wheels are wobbling. This track doesn't feel very secure."

"Balderdash, Percy," said Thomas. "I've been down here before. It's perfectly safe. Mostly. Let's go." Then he shunted Skiff down the line as Percy followed them. Soon they came to a junction, and didn't know which track to take.

"Uh-oh. Now what?" asked Twilight. Then they heard rushing water like from a river.

"Sounds like the river's down the right track." said Skiff.

" _I_ think the sound's coming from the left." said Percy, still not trusting Skiff.

"Uh, right… right?" asked Skiff.

"Left." said Percy.

"All right. Tie-breaker;" said Thomas. "Whichever way the points are set, that's the way we'll go." He puffed forward and Skiff's bogie turned to the right-hand line. "Right track it is."

"All right, guys," said Pinkie. "Who's up for some tunes on the go?"

"Uh, no thanks Pinkie." said Percy

"All right, here we go," she said and a guitar started playing. * "When I was a little lady and the sun was going daaoown…" *

"Please stop it, Pinkie." said Percy.

*"The darkness and the shadows, they would always make me fraaoown…" *

"She's not stopping," said Twilight.

*"I'd hide under my pillow, from what I thought I saw, but Granny Pie said that wasn't the way to deal with fear at aaaalllll…" *

"This is oddly familiar," said Thomas.

*"She said 'Pinkie, you gotta stand up tall, learn to face your fears. You'll see that they can't hurt you, just laugh to make them disappeeeaar. * All right Percy, join in for the chorus." she said but a record scratch stopped the song.

"Pinkie, cut it out. What is this, 'High School Musical'? We don't just randomly burst into song whenever we want." said Percy. Soon they found themselves in front of a huge waterfall.

"Told you," said Thomas smugly.

"Well, we found the waterfall, so we're going to have to go through to find the crown." said Twilight.

"All right, this is it, guys," said Thomas. "Puff through quickly, Percy or the water might put out your fire."

"Wait, what?" asked Percy.

"Ready, Skiff?" asked Thomas.

"Ready, Thomas." he replied.

"Ready, Twilight?" asked Thomas.

"Full steam ahead, old friend." she replied and Thomas started puffing through the falls. Percy was worried and raced through after them. Once they were through, they found a lovely cavern full of life.

"Wow. I think we just found Shangri-La, Thomas," said Twilight.

"We might as well have," said Skiff. "This place is beautiful."

"I'll say," said Thomas. Soon they found a large wall of stones and Thomas remembered the next part of the riddle. "'Then shift the rocks to find your prize. For behind one, my lost treasure lies'."

"Okay, so which rocks do we shift then?" asked Twilight, climbing down from the cab. Then as Percy pulled up on an adjacent line and Pinkie climbed down, they heard the loud squeak of hydraulics down the track.

"What's that noise?" asked Skiff. Then they heard a familiar voice.

"ARGH! Where on Sodor could it be?" it asked. Thomas and Percy pulled further forward and saw Diesel 10 and Discord.

"Oh no. We're too late," whispered Percy. Diesel 10 honked his horn in anger.

"RRGH! I was sure this was the right place, yet the crown is nowhere to be found." he growled. "RRGH! Grease and oil! Nothing! Nothing here but rocks!" he shouted and banged his claw against the wall. Then, by some crazy coincidence, the rocks started moving to reveal an ancient crown on a pedestal in the cave. Discord laughed and petted Diesel 10's claw.

"Pinchy, old friend, you've always had the magic touch." he said. The claw then swung over and picked up the crown. Percy loudly whistled and ran out of hiding.

"We can't let him get away with this." he shouted. Thomas whistled too, and raced out after Percy.

"Hold it right there, Discord!" shouted Twilight. But Discord just sent Diesel 10's engines full ahead, making him rocket away down the line with Percy and Thomas close behind them.

"Stop! Thief!" shouted Pinkie.

"You'll have to catch us first, steamies!" shouted Diesel 10 and he roared out of the waterfall toward the mine's exit. Soon they were almost out.

"Get back here with that crown!" shouted Percy. Diesel 10 laughed.

"Make me, silly little tank engines!" he called back.

"Better to be a tank engine than a smelly diesel-fueled thief like you." said Pinkie. Then Discord noticed that the caverns were full of loose rocks so he decided to use that to his advantage.

"I'll teach you to talk to us like that!" he shouted. Then he gave two quick blasts on Diesel 10's horn which echoed around the tunnel. "Take that, idiots! The crown is ours!" He and Diesel 10 laughed as stones fell from the top of an old shaft and blocked the track.

"Percy, hit the brakes!" called Twilight. "You'll come off the tracks!"

"No way! I've got this!" said Percy and he charged the rocks, but Thomas stopped, letting Skiff coast along a bit. Pinkie, sensing the impending derailment, jumped from the cab and rolled on the rocks, but cut her leg on a sharp rock on the side of the tunnel. Then Percy hit the rocks and came clean off the tracks. He coughed from the dust cloud he kicked up and Thomas rolled up. Twilight jumped from the cab and helped Pinkie over to her father's engine.

"Percy. Percy, are you alright?" asked Thomas. Percy just groaned as Skiff bumped into his undercarriage.

"We almost had him." he said.

"Dude, you had squat," said Twilight. "Maybe if you had trusted Skiff from the beginning, we would've gotten the crown first."

"I know, I know. I'm sorry, Skiff," said Percy. "I thought you were just as much a pirate as Captain Callous or Sailor John. But now I realize I've just been idiotic."

"Yeah. Me too. Sorry Skiffy." said Pinkie.

"That's okay, you two. No one could blame you for thinking that way." he replied.

"Well, now what?" asked Thomas.

"We have to get that crown back from Discord and Diesel 10," said Skiff. "There must be another exit."

"I'm pretty sure I saw another line back down the tunnel. It could've been a secondary line out when this place was in full swing," said Twilight. "Pinkie, can you walk?"

"I think so," she said. She tried, but gasped in pain and dropped to the ground. "Actually, no. I can't move."

"Okay, you stay here with Percy until we get back." said Twilight and she laid her friend down next to the little engine.

"I'll stay and keep them company," said Skiff.

"You sure about that Skiff?" asked Thomas.

"Someone has to do it. Besides, I'd only slow you down," said Skiff. "You'd better hurry though. Diesel 10's got a big headstart."

"We'll be fine, Thomas. Right here with old Skiff." said Percy.

"We'll be thick as thieves." Skiff joked.

"Right," said Thomas reversing down the tunnel. "We'll be back with Harvey later." Soon they were outside and saw Diesel 10 and his cronies not far away.

"And now those stinky steamies won't be bugging us again any time soon." said Diesel 10. But he thought again when he heard Thomas' whistle.

"Diesel 10, drop that crown!" shouted Twilight.

"Time to go," said Discord and he hit the accelerator. "Catch us if you can, Twilight!" Then the diesels roared away. Thomas kept a good pace as the diesels roared through Crosby Station with Arry and Bert on the outside lines.

"Faster, you imbeciles!" shouted Diesel 10. "They're gaining on us."

"We're tryin', boss." shouted Arry. Then Thomas got ahead of Arry and Bert and started gaining on Diesel 10.

"Augh! Pretty fast for a puffball!" said Diesel 10.

"Hand it over!" shouted Thomas.

"Over my dead body!" said Discord. Thomas took that as an invitation to bump Diesel 10. The claw dropped the crown, but it landed a ringer around his brake fluid tube.

"Big mistake doing that, Thomas." said Diesel 10. Then he saw an abandoned car of scrap metal. The claw grabbed a rusty axle and threw it back at the tank engine, missing him by a mile and nearly hitting Arry's buffer beam instead.

"Hey! Watch where you're throwing those things, boss." he said. Then Arry and Bert switched onto Thomas' line, boxing him in. Twilight knew there were more junctions ahead so she had Thomas bump Arry and Bert, knocking them onto the other lines at them. Diesel 10 growled at them.

"You just don't know when to quit, do you?" he asked. Then he knocked a load of pipes off a flatbed nearby, but they only rolled as far as Bert's line, knocking him off the track.

"Bert!" shouted Arry.

"Leave him be!" shouted Diesel 10. "He's of no more use to us now."

"You are by far the most devious diesel I've ever seen." said Thomas, bumping him again. He growled and turned his claw back at Thomas, but then Twilight saw something.

"Low tunnel!" she shouted, but too late. The claw hit the tunnel roof and broke. When they came out, the claw was horribly mangled.

"Pinchy! My sweet! Are you okay?" asked Diesel 10. Thomas laughed and the diesel growled.

"You'll pay for that, Thomas." said Discord.

"We'll see about that, Discord." said Twilight, but Diesel 10 laughed.

"No, I don't think we will." he said. Then Twilight saw the junction to the Dieselworks, but then heard a loud whistle.

"Here comes the 4:15. Right on schedule." she smiled at Bert. He looked ahead and saw Gordon coming from Vicarstown with the afternoon express. Thomas pumped his pistons as hard as he could and raced over the junction just as Gordon came barreling through. Bert wasn't as lucky as he got stuck behind the train.

"Ugh! You want something done right, you gotta do it yourself." said Discord.

"Your cronies are gone, Discord!" said Twilight. "It's over! There's nowhere left to go!"

"It's not over until the Fat Controller sings!" he shouted back. Then Twilight saw something in the distance.

"Oh no! That's the shortcut to Vicarstown Bridge!" she said. "If he gets past that before the next ship, we'll never catch him!" Discord had clambered to the roof with his cane-sword in his hand. Then Thomas saw the signalman at the next box watching everything.

"Sir! He's got the stolen crown! Get an unavailable engine at Vicarstown station to the bridge now!" he shouted to him.

"Righto!" said the signalman and he sent the message over the phone just before Discord used his sword to cut the phone-line. The only engine at Vicarstown station was Ryan, but he was also closest so he raced to the bridge.

"Raise the bridge! Quickly! Diesel 10's on the way!" he shouted to the bridge operator. Quickly, the bridge was raised, making it a large ramp. But Diesel 10 kept going faster and faster.

"Diesel 10, are you insane? You'll never make that jump!" said Twilight. Discord realized she was right and jumped, but rolled to a stop gripping a large rock over the canal for dear life as Diesel 10 shot into a barge full of stone.

Twilight quickly ran to Discord who offered her his hand. "Twilight, help me! Would you let your grandfather fall?"

 **Sonic Prime: Whoa! Plot Twist!**

"My grandfather?! You're my grandfather?" she asked.

"Of course I am. Now help!" he shouted. Twilight reached towards him before something hit her.

"Well then, who's my grandmother?" she asked.

"Uh… uh, Faye Dunaway." he said quickly, indicating he was lying.

"No she isn't." said Twilight, standing up arms crossed.

"Uh… uh, Kaye Ballard?" he asked.

"Kaye- nah." said Twilight.

"Would you believe Sandy Duncan?" asked Discord.

"No, not really." she replied.

"Well, it was worth a shot." he said, shrugging, losing his grip on the rock. At first, he floated a bit but then he fell into the ocean and grabbed the barge Diesel 10 was on.

"Can't believe I almost fell for that." said Twilight.

"Me neither." said Thomas.

"Where's the crown?" asked Ryan, then he saw it on the edge of the cliff. His driver quickly picked it up and brought it back.

"Well done, Ryan. You saved the crown." said Thomas.

"Heh. Thanks." he replied. Later, Thomas, Percy, Skiff and Ryan met Sir Topham Hatt at Kellsthorpe station. Pinkie Pie had had her leg bandaged and was on crutches for the rest of the month, but aside from that, she was fine.

"Well done, all of you," said Sir Topham Hatt. "Together, you not only managed to find the lost crown, but stopped the diesels from stealing it. You are all really useful,"

"Thank you, sir." said Thomas.

"Although I must say, Thomas and Percy, you would've been more useful if you'd also finished doing your actual jobs." he said.

"Oh. Those cars I was supposed to shunt." said Percy.

"And that passenger train I was supposed to take." said Thomas.

"We'll get on that right away, sir." said Pinkie, climbing into Percy's cab. The two tank engines said their goodbyes and left to work. Then something crossed Sir Topham Hatt's mind.

"By the way, Ryan, whatever happened to Discord and Diesel 10?" he asked.

"Uh, well…" he said. Meanwhile out at sea, Diesel 10 and Discord were still drifting on the barge.

"You know," said Diesel 10. "I really hate cruises."

 **Well, that does it for the first chapter, but don't go away. There will be more like this.**


	2. The Great Snowstorm of Sodor

**Ch. 2: The Great Snowstorm of Sodor**

It was two days till Christmas on the Island of Sodor, and Arry and Bert were hauling a line of coal trucks over a steep hill.

"This is hard work," said Bert.

"Why're we pulling coal trucks anyway?" asked Arry. "No good to us."

"Nearly at the top," said Bert, seeing the track ahead level off.

"Finally," said Arry. "I thought we'd never make it." The two diesels had barely made it to the top of the hill when the trucks started giggling to each other.

"Come on, let's push them down the hill," said one.

"Joyful and triumphant!" shouted another and they broke the coupling with Bert, pushing Arry down the hill.

"Brake Arry, brake!" shouted Bert. Arry tried, but the rails were iced over and he couldn't get any grip. His sandboxes didn't help because he had emptied them out getting up the hill. Then he jumped the track and caused the trucks to pile up on the line. Then he slid off the tracks and back-first into a ridge. Then Bert hit the trucks and derailed as well, sliding in the snow away from the tracks until he turned and tumbled onto his side.

"Oh, bother these icy rails," he said. "And those silly trucks." Later that day, James pulled into Knapford Station with one of the railway's many holiday passenger trains. He also had a girl in his cab with curly purple hair, wearing a white coat. She was James' driver's daughter, Rachel Arkwright, but everyone always called her Rarity. James pulled up to the platform and laughed triumphantly when he saw the clock.

"Ah-ha-ha! Right on time! As always." he said.

"And looking fabulous James," said Rarity. Then James saw Ryan steaming up with a girl on his running plate with red and yellow. Her name was Rebecca Shimmer, but everyone called her Sunset. She was a bit of a troublemaker in the past, so she was assigned to the Arlesburgh to Harwick branch line to learn sense.

"Oh, hello Ryan. Sunset," said James. "Enjoying the weather?" Ryan seemed a bit anxious about something as he stopped.

"Oh, uh, Hello James," he said. "Uh, not really. I don't actually like snow that-"

"It's rather fantastic, isn't it?" interrupted Rarity. "Everybody always says James' paintwork looks lovely against the snow." Then Thomas pulled up with Twilight and smirked.

"Splendid indeed," he said. "Add a touch of white and he looks like a candy cane. How festive." James scoffed in annoyance at that remark.

"Don't mind him, Thomas. He just gets a bit grouchy with all the extra work, don't you, old boy?" said Rarity.

"I suppose. But if you'll excuse us Thomas, Rarity and I have to get ready for my next train," said James and once he was uncoupled from the coaches, he steamed away with Rarity in his cab.

"Merry Christmas, Twilight." said Rarity.

"Merry Christmas, Rarity," she returned before she noticed Ryan and Sunset. "Hi, Sunset. What are you two doing here?"

"Well, I heard Arry and Bert got in an accident, so we were called down to-" she said, but then was interrupted by Sir Topham Hatt.

"Ah, Thomas, Twilight. Ryan, Sunset! Just the teams I was looking for," he said. "Arry and Bert have had an accident, so I need you to finish delivering coal to stations along the main line. There's a storm coming tonight, so they can't go without it."

"Yes sir," said Thomas, eager to help out. Ryan seemed worried, though.

"A storm?" he asked.

"James and Rarity will be waiting for you at the end of the line," continued Sir Topham Hatt. "Then the six of you will need to collect some mail vans from Barrow. They're full of presents for Christmas, so they have to be delivered before tomorrow night."

"Right away, sir." said Twilight.

"But what about the storm?" asked Ryan.

"Oh, don't worry. The storm shouldn't be that bad," replied the Fat Controller. "Just be careful and don't forget to get your snowplows fitted. Good luck!" Then he walked back to his office.

"No time to lose then," said Thomas. "Let's get going, Ryan." And with that, Thomas steamed away to the fitters' yard. Ryan was still worried, but he followed. That evening, the four of them were rumbling along the line with long lines of coal cars behind them and snowplows mounted in front.

"Come on Ryan," said Thomas. "Just Kellsthorpe and Crovan's Gate to go. Then we're at Vicarstown." Then he started speeding up, worrying Ryan and Sunset.

"Oh. Thomas, slow down!" she said. "I don't feel safe going this fast on icy tracks."

"Don't be such a worrywart, Sunset," giggled Twilight. "We're not going _that_ fast." Then she hit the accelerator and sped Thomas up. Then she quickly locked on the brakes, making Thomas ski along the line.

"Whee!" he cried as he slid along the icy tracks. Then Ryan saw a snowblock on the line ahead.

"Thomas, look out!" he shouted and slid to a stop. Thomas didn't slow down, but instead, he slid through the drift, knocking it out of the way, stopping him.

"Ha! What? It's only a little snowdrift," he replied. But Ryan didn't answer. He just looked at the snow, seemingly in fear. "Oh. Ryan? Are you coming?" Thomas asked. Ryan just whimpered a bit.

"Ryan? Ryan? Anybody there?" asked Twilight. Sunset eased him forward, gently scraping the snow out of the way.

"Ha! That's the way," said Thomas.

"This is no time to mess around, Thomas," he said, masking his fear with seriousness. "Ice and snow are not a joke. Look at what happened to Arry and Bert." With that, he steamed away. Thomas and Twilight were confused.

"Huh?" said Thomas, following him.

"Ryan, you okay?" asked Twilight.

"I-I-I'm fine. I just don't really like snow. That's all," he replied. "Uh, c'mon. Let's get this job finished." Later that evening, at Barrow-in-Furness, Stafford, the little electric shunter, had just bumped a mail van full of presents up behind James.

"Easy, Stafford. Mind James' paint," said Rarity. Then James saw Thomas and Ryan backing down next to him.

"Oh great. You guys again. What're you doing here?" he asked.

"Well, it's not like a small engine like you would be able to deliver all these presents by yourself." smirked Thomas.

"What? James isn't small," said Rarity.

"Well, on a scale of Scruff to Sam, he's somewhere in the middle." said Twilight as Stafford shunted Thomas' van into place.

"HA! Speaking of small engines, why did they send you and Twilight, Thomas?" asked James. "Ryan and Sunset would've been enough."

"Small but strong. I hauled that huge tree from the mainland through the snow, remember?" asked Thomas.

"I remember that you got buried in the snow, and Donald and Douglas had to come and save you." said James smugly.

"B-B-B-Buried?!" asked Ryan as Stafford bumped his van on behind him.

"Looks like this convoy's ready," said the shunter. "Stick together and look out for each other and you'll be fine,"

"Thanks, Stafford, we will. Merry Christmas," said Twilight. Then just as they left, the stationmaster got an urgent phone call.

"Right, right. Is it that serious?" he asked. "I'd better stop Thomas, James, and Ryan then." But when he walked out, he saw that they were already gone. "Wait! Come back! There's been a snow warning! The storm's going to be much worse than we thought! It's not safe!" Stafford tried to flag them down with his horn, but they didn't hear him. Back at the sheds, the other engines were huddled in the shed.

"Oh. This storm is getting worse. I hope Thomas and James are okay. Ryan too." said Henry as the workmen closed his shed doors.

"Oh, don't worry yourself, Henry," said Edward. "I'm sure they'll be fine." But he was wrong. The storm was so strong out on the main line, the engines could barely see beyond their buffers.

"Bust my buffers! I can't see!" said Thomas.

"Me neither! Where's Ryan?" asked James.

"Right here! There's just so much snow!" he replied.

"Pick up the pace!" said Rarity. "You don't want to be left behind in this kind of weather!" Then Twilight heard a rumbling from the ridge above them.

"Did anyone else just hear something?" she asked.

"What?" asked James. He looked up the mountain and was terrified. "AVALANCHE!" he shouted. Snow poured from the mountain, following the engines down the track.

"Full steam ahead!" called Sunset as the snowfall followed them down the track. The engines practically had coal lump-sized lumps of snow nipping at their vans' back buffers. They went as fast as they could and just barely managed to get away from the avalanche.

"Oh, thank heaven. We made it." gasped Sunset, leaning against the wall of Ryan's cab in relief.

"Good show, Ryan," said Thomas. "You did it."

"Meh. I've escaped an avalanche or two myself, you know," said James. "But I wasn't such a scaredy-engine about it."

"Oh, I want to be brave," said Ryan to himself. "It's just not easy for me. Sorry guys."

"You're not being fair, James." said Thomas.

"Yeah. As I recall, Percy and Pinkie had to save you and Rarity from that landslide in the clay pits. And you weren't being brave. You were being foolish." said Twilight.

"Oh, be off with you!" said Rarity. "James' pistons pump with sheer courage alone."

"I'd say steam pressure mostly." said Thomas cheekily, greatly insulting James.

"'Steam pressure'?!" he asked. "Unlike you four, Rarity and I could've handled this journey under my own pow-" He didn't get to complete his thought as a large clump of snow rolled up his snowplow and hit him in the face, making him splutter.

Thomas chuckled. "If you say so," he said. Back at the sheds, Henry was getting more and more worried about them.

"Ugh, this blizzard isn't letting up, and Thomas and James aren't back yet," he said. By now, Gordon was getting a bit worried too.

"It _has_ been a long time." he said.

"Don't worry, everyone," said Edward. "I'm sure they'll pull through. Besides Henry, snow is actually water, and as Percy used to say…"

"'Water is nothing to an engine with determination'." Henry chuckled.

"You guys are never going to let me live that down, are you?" asked Percy, remembering that he foolishly made a deal with the trucks to make him go past a danger board. Then out of nowhere, the lights went out.

"Hey, who turned out the lights?" asked Emily.

"The snow must've knocked out the power lines," said Gordon. "The sheds will probably be dark until tomorrow."

"Just as well. We need our rest," said Edward. Out on the main line, Thomas' convoy was having a bit of trouble. The bulbs in their lamps had died, so they had to rely on the occasional line-side lamp for light, but there weren't enough of those on the line for Thomas and Ryan to see that James and Rarity had accidentally taken a wrong turn. It wasn't until his whistle sounded farther away that Twilight knew something was wrong.

"They're gone! We have to go back! They must've made a wrong turn." she said.

"No time. We'll just have to keep going and hope we meet up with them again further down the line," said Thomas. "Besides, even if we did go back, the points are probably frozen." Ryan was worried and ran on ahead with Thomas quickly catching up. After saving Ryan from a crash into a pair of buffers, they continued on.

Soon they arrived at an old tunnel, but just as they were about to exit, snow fell and blocked off the opening.

"Quick! Back up before we're trapped," shouted Twilight. They tried, but too late. Snow had blocked off both ways into the tunnel, trapping them inside. Without them on the line, the island seemed frozen and dead. Even Harold was forced to land. (Why he was out flying in this weather in the first place is beyond me, but whatever.)

"Ohh no, oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no," said Ryan. "We're trapped. What are we gonna do? We'll never get out of here."

"Not with that attitude, we won't, Ryan," said Thomas. "Just stay calm. We'll figure something out."

"It's gonna get pretty cold in here soon," said Twilight. "We'd better put out your fires to keep us from getting sick."

"Well, we'd better figure a way out of here, and fast." said Sunset.

"Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. I think my pistons are already starting to freeze," said Ryan.

"Twilight, can't we just charge the drift with our plows?" asked Thomas.

"It might work if you both work together," said Twilight. Ryan seemed nervous.

"Uh… No. I don't think I can. We should just wait for help to come find us." he said.

"But Ryan, we have to get this job finished tonight," said Sunset. "I don't think this storm will let up anytime soon, and if anyone's going to come and save us, they won't come in this weather."

"I- I- I can't. I just can't," said Ryan. "I don't want to get buried again."

"'Again'?" asked Twilight. "What do you mean 'again'?"

"Uh… Well, back home on the GNR, you know, my old railway, I was working at a coal mine in the late winter," he said, remembering. "I was only supposed to be there a while, but one night, after the men went home, I was sleeping on a siding when a huge snowstorm blew in and buried me, funnel to firebox. It took the men days to find me and dig me out and even longer to thaw all my moving parts."

"But Ryan, if we don't finish this delivery, Christmas will be ruined for so many children over Sodor," said Thomas.

"I know, but I'm just too scared," said Ryan. "Even that small drift this afternoon made me nervous."

"Well, a wise engine came to Sodor once, and he had a saying," said Twilight, remembering the wise words of Percy's old friend, Gator. "'Being brave isn't the same as not being scared. Being brave is about what you do, even when you do feel scared'." Sunset had uncoupled Ryan and Thomas while Twilight was talking and they steamed forward. "Those kids are counting on us, Ryan. Can you be brave? For them?"

"I'm still scared, but I'll do my best, Twilight." he said.

"That's the spirit. Let's go!" she said and charged Thomas forward at the drift. He and Ryan pushed for all they were worth, but they could barely get the snow to budge, aside from making it fall on them. Quickly, they reversed away from the drift, and Twilight and Sunset scraped some of the snow off their faces.

"Oh no," said Ryan. "At this rate, we'd be lucky to make it in time for next year." Then Twilight heard something.

"Wait a second. What's that noise?" she asked. Her question was answered by two loud low-toned whistles.

"That'll be us, Donal' and Dougie, mi lads." said a Scottish voice.

"Rest easy," said another. "Your knights in shining armor here to save ye from the unrelenting elements."

"Ach, aye!" said the first voice. "And snow, that would be. What a muckle nuisance it all is."

"Donald and Douglas!" said Twilight. "Glad you're here, but…"

"Please hurry," said Ryan. "We have an urgent delivery to make."

"Oh aye," chuckled Donald. "Of course. We're on it, laddy." Soon, the track was clear for Ryan and Thomas.

"Thanks again, you two," said Twilight. "When it comes to snow, you two work wonders."

"Dinna fash yerself," said Donald. "Just put down 'Saving Christmas' as part of our job descriptions." Twilight chuckled.

"When we get to Knapford, I'll tell Sir Topham Hatt to make a note of doing that," she said. Then the Scottish twins chuffed off down the line.

"You two take care now. We're off to find any more engines in need of a winter rescue," said Donald, and he and Douglas chuffed down the tunnel laughing. Then Ryan remembered.

"Wait! Have you two seen James and Rarity?" he asked. But too late, the twins were already gone. "Oh dear. It was so busy, dealing with the snow, we forgot about them."

"Don't worry Ryan," said Sunset. "We'll find them sooner or later." And it was sooner. It was only a few miles until they found James frozen to the frames on the third line with Rarity huddled up in his cab near his fire.

"Rarity, are you okay?" asked Twilight, helping her up.

"I'm fine. Wish I could say the same for James though," she said.

"Didn't Donald and Douglas see you? They swept the other two tracks pretty thoroughly," said Thomas. Then James sneezed a cloud of snow out of his funnel.

"Ugh. Yeah, well I'd say they missed a spot," he said. "Couldn't even hear us as they went past."

"When we got separated, you should've waited for us." said Twilight.

"We know, Twilight, and we're dreadfully sorry." said Rarity.

"No problem, Rarity," said Thomas. "Now let's get James out of there and get going."

"Yeah, the sooner we finish this delivery, the better." said Ryan.

"That's the spirit, big guy," said Sunset. Quickly, they dug James clear of the snow and coupled up to their vans.

"Well, we're all safe now, but we have to finish this delivery tonight." said Thomas.

"If we push our full speeds, we should be able to make up for lost time," said Twilight and they roared along the line as fast as they could. Soon, they arrived at the Sodor Suspension Bridge for a rest just as the sun was rising.

"Ah, thank goodness," said Rarity. "We just have to stop at Knapford and we're done." Then Ryan heard a loud groaning underneath him.

"Did you hear that?" he asked.

"Hear what?" asked Sunset.

"I'm really looking forward to-" said Twilight before Sunset gasped at something behind them.

"The bridge is collapsing!" she shouted and she was right. The bridge was crumbling under their engines' wheels. Quickly, they pumped their pistons and raced off the bridge just as it fell into the gorge.

"Whew. Someone should really reinforce that thing when it's rebuilt," said Twilight.

"Man, this storm is full of surprises." said James.

"Hopefully, that's the last one for this evening," yawned Rarity. "Once we finish work, I'm going to take a long nap before tonight's Christmas party."

"No argument here," said Sunset. Soon enough, they pulled into Knapford a bit shaken, but otherwise, safe and sound.

"Well done, you lot," said Sir Topham Hat, who had just stepped out from the station's café with a cup of coffee in his hand. "The railway staff were all talking about your minor incidents from last night. To have dealt with all those obstacles and still made your deliveries on time is a real accomplishment. You've saved Christmas for the whole island."

"Thank you, sir." they all said.

"As a reward, I'm giving you the next two days off, and tonight, you'll be the guests of honor at our Christmas party here at Knapford." said Sir Topham Hatt.

That night, Ryan regaled the others with the story of the night before. Everyone was quite impressed.

"We may have been worried about you, but we never lost faith. Well done, all of you," said Edward. "Now then, would anyone care for a little caroling?" Then the band on the platform started playing "We Wish you a Merry Christmas", and everyone sang along.

Later that evening, everyone was at the sheds ready for bed, even the girls. Then Percy pulled in with Pinkie.

"Do you think if we stay up tonight, we might see Santa Claus?" Percy asked. Gordon chuckled.

"Don't be silly, Percy," he said. "Santa only visits those who are asleep. Good night." Twilight turned off his berth's lights and he started to fall asleep.

"Gordon's right. We'd best go to sleep soon," said Edward.

"Some of us need it more than others," said Rarity, tucking herself into her bunk. Everyone started to go to sleep when Percy heard a bell.

"It's Santa!" he whispered. But it was only the old steam-tram, Toby, along with a blond American girl named Jackie Smith. But since her family helped the Vicar and Trevor in the orchard, she earned the nickname Applejack.

"Don't worry, Percy. Santa will come," said Thomas. Applejack laughed.

"Not if you're all wide awake like that," she said, walking into the sheds. "Night, guys." The next morning, Percy woke everyone up early for them to find they all had Santa hats on and that there was a large pile of presents under the tree at the sheds.

"See, Percy? I told you Santa would come," said Thomas.

"Wait a second," said Twilight. "Percy didn't get anything from Santa."

"There must've been a mistake." said Pinkie.

"No, there wasn't," said Percy. "I got exactly what I wanted."

"Which would be?" asked James.

"To spend Christmas morning with all my friends, and… it happened," he said. Twilight chuckled.

"Okay, that's kinda corny, but I'm glad you got what you wanted, Percy," she said. "Merry Christmas, everyone."

"Yeah, let's crack out the nog!" said Pinkie. Everyone laughed.


	3. Gordon and Rainbow's Grand Adventure

**Ch. 3: Gordon and Rainbow's Grand Adventure**

It was a dark night out near the Vicarstown bridge as the diesels were all gathered there with the breakdown train. Then a familiar broken claw fell into Diesel's truck as the crane hoisted a tan engine up out of a barge in the canal and set him back on the track.

The next morning, Gordon thundered out of Henry's Tunnel with the express. He had a girl in his cab wearing a white shirt with a cloud and a three-colored lightning bolt on it and light blue athletic shorts. Her name was Railey Dash, but since her hair was all the colors of the rainbow, she earned that as her nickname.

"Express coming through!" yelled Gordon.

"Man, the Sudrian countryside looks so cool at just under a hundred mph, eh Gordon?" asked Rainbow.

"Indeed. I pity all the slower engines on Sodor," said Gordon and he chuckled conceitedly, then he saw Pinkie Pie on the track ahead behind a passenger train waving a red flag. Quickly, he stopped and saw it was Percy's morning local. "Percy, what on Sodor are you doing on my Express line?"

"Oh. I'm sorry, Gordon," said the little engine. "My safety valve burst. I can't pull my train anymore, and my passengers are stranded. Can you please help me and Pinkie get them to their stations?"

"Percy, we're taking the express," said Rainbow. "We can't stop at every station, and you've already made us late."

"At least help us to the next station, Dashie," said Pinkie. "Pretty please? For a friend?" Then she did the puppy-dog eyes. Rainbow rolled her eyes and looked at Gordon.

"Well, they _are_ our friends, big guy." she said. Gordon groaned but consented. Later, Percy was being pushed along by Gordon.

"Whee!" said Percy. "Express coming through!"

"Hey! That's _our_ line!" said Rainbow.

"Sorry Dashie," laughed Pinkie. "This is just so much fun."

"Fun for you, perhaps," said Gordon. "This is so humiliating." Then Rainbow looked behind them and grimaced.

"And our day just got worse." she said.

"Well, well, well," said a voice. "What do we have here?" Gordon looked and saw that his silver streamlined cousin, Spencer, had pulled up alongside him. Then Rainbow saw a girl in light turquoise with amber and gold-striped hair. Her name was Laurel Dust, but she earned the nickname Lightning since her hair looked like a lightning bolt.

"You always were the slower cousin, Gordon, but this is just ridiculous." she said.

"Spe- Wha- De-Spencer? Lightning Dust? What're you doing here?" asked Gordon.

"We've got a very important job to do. Apparently, the engines here on Sodor are just too slow." said Spencer.

"Slow?" asked Rainbow. "Gordon could beat you in a race with a jammed piston."

"Is that so?" asked Lightning.

"Yes. Yes, it is," said Gordon. "In fact, I could beat you in a race right now, even with my extra load." Percy's eyes widened after hearing that.

"HA! Very well then. We'll race you to Knapford," said Spencer, picking up speed. "Ready… Steady… GO!" Percy tried to stop Gordon but to no avail. As Gordon pushed him along the line at high speeds, he screamed in fear, but Pinkie just laughed and thought it was great fun. Then they passed Spencer.

"Hi Lightning!" said Pinkie as Gordon roared onwards.

"HA! You'll have to do better than that, old chap!" said Spencer.

"Not a problem. The big guy hasn't even reached full speed yet." said Rainbow.

"WHAT?!" asked Percy. Then the two cousins jostled for position as they thundered down the line. Then they whooshed into Crovan's Gate with Gordon in the lead.

"Gordon? Gordon?" said Percy.

"What?" he asked.

"We have to stop here." said Percy. Gordon realized this was one of the local's stops so he slammed on the brakes, but that let Spencer get ahead.

"HA! LOOKS LIKE WE WIN! BETTER LUCK NEXT TIME!" shouted Lightning. Rainbow slumped to the floor of the cab in embarrassment. That evening, at the Dieselworks, Paxton rolled in. He was an innocent diesel and never wanted anything to do with Diesel 10's past plots. When he found Diesel and the others inside, he smiled.

"Oh. Hi, everyone. How was your day?" he asked.

"Boring," said Diesel. "You?"

"It was very interesting," he replied. "I spent the day shunting trucks for a special train down by the Maritime Museum."

"You mean that place where the stolen crown was put?" asked Arry.

"Oh yes. Actually, I think they're moving that thing somewhere," said Paxton. "I'm not totally sure about the details." Then there was a loud groaning from the upper repair lift. "What was that?" Then Discord slinked out of the shadows as Diesel 10 was lowered from the lift.

"Did you say… they're moving the crown?" asked Discord.

"Um… Yes?" Paxton replied uncertainly. Discord looked at his engine and they started laughing evilly. The next day, Gordon and Rainbow pulled into Platform 1 at Knapford after finishing their morning express run and were still grumbling about what happened the day before.

"Silly Percy. Making us late. Making us lose to Spencer." grumbled Gordon. Then Thomas and Twilight pulled up next to him on Platform 2.

"Hello slowcoach," he said tauntingly. "Lose any more races recently?"

"De- Dew- What? How do you know about that?" asked Rainbow. Then James and Rarity pulled in on Platform 4.

"This isn't exactly a big island, Rainbow," he said matter-of-factly. "Everyone's heard about it."

"Oh the indignity." groaned Gordon. Then Duck came in on Platform 3.

"Not to worry, Gordon," he chuckled. "You're still the fastest engine that Sir Topham Hatt owns." Gordon was still in a huff when he heard a familiar laugh next to him.

"Did somebody say my name?" asked the controller. Everyone greeted the head of their railway and he smiled. "Hello everyone, there's a special train that's going to London tomorrow, and I need an engine to pull it. Any volunteers?" Gordon perked up at the mention of London.

"London, eh?" he asked. "This is surely a job for an express engine."

"Nonsense Gordon," said Thomas. "If one of us is to go abroad, surely it should be the number one engine."

"I personally think it should be an engine with paintwork as nice as James'." said Rarity, looking at her reflection in the engine's bodywork.

"Uh, beg pardon, sir, but I wouldn't mind going to London," said Duck.

"Well, you can't all go. Um…" said Sir Topham Hatt, deep in thought. Then his secretary with tri-colored hair, Miss Celestia, came out of his office.

"Excuse the intrusion sir, but you're wanted on the telephone." she said.

"What? Can't it wait?" he asked.

"I'm afraid it's urgent, sir." she replied.

"Bother that telephone. Alright, I'm coming," he said and turned to his engines. "Uh, figure out who's taking the train amongst yourselves, will you? I'll be back shortly." Once he left to his office, the engines were at each other's metaphorical throats.

"You little engines would never make it all the way to London on your own." said Gordon.

"Don't get us wrong, we'd love the company, but you'd only slow us down. Leave this to us." said Rainbow.

"No way, Rainbow. We can't have a big pompous engine like Gordon representing the railway." said Thomas.

"Beggin' your pardon, Rainbow, but I used to work in London," said Duck. "So I know for a fact that I can make it there just fine." Then an idea flew into James' funnel.

"I know," he said. "We should have a race to decide."

"A race?" asked Rarity.

"Yes. First one to Crosby Station gets to pull the special train," said James. Thomas was concerned about that.

"That doesn't sound very-" he began.

"Sounds like a great idea to me." interrupted Rainbow. Then Twilight directed Thomas's attention behind Gordon's tender to show him the big engine was still coupled to the express coaches. He smiled at that and chuckled a bit.

"All right then," he said. "We all know Rainbow and Gordon aren't very good at racing anyway," he said.

"We'll make you eat those words." said Rainbow.

"We'll see," said Twilight. "On three. One… Two… Go!" Then she raced Thomas out of the station, leaving the others behind.

"HEY! That's not fair!" shouted James as he and Duck followed him. Gordon tried to follow suit, but realized that his coaches were still coupled behind him and that their brakes were on.

"Oh! What? Oh botheration," he said. "Quickly! Someone uncouple me!" Rainbow quickly ran to the back, lifted the coupling and grabbed onto the back of Gordon's tender as he pulled out of the station. Just then, Sir Topham Hatt stepped out of his office, having wrapped up on the phone.

"All right. Now that that's done, have you all decided…" he trailed off, noticing the engines weren't there. "Huh? Where'd they all go?" If there were any crickets with a good sense of timing nearby, they would've chosen now to start chirping. Anyway, back to the action on the mainline…

Thomas still had the lead, but James and Duck were closing the gap fast. Soon, Thomas started losing steam and James overtook him.

"Aha! Caught you!" he said. "Looks like we'll be taking that train to London now. Hahaha!" Then Duck caught up and chuckled.

"Looks can be deceiving, James," he said. Then they heard Gordon's whistle behind them, getting Duck nervous.

"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea," he said. But Thomas smirked when he saw a junction ahead.

"Watch this." he said and roared over the points before Gordon could.

"Out of the way, guys!" shouted Rainbow.

"You're really not having any luck racing, are you?" Twilight asked cheekily. Then they heard a whistle up ahead and saw Donald ahead on Duck's track.

"Look out!" he shouted. Duck didn't have any choice, so he slammed on the brakes, dropping out of the race, stopping with Donald giving him a small bump.

"Looks like it's just us and you, Rarity- OH!" said Twilight as Thomas was switched to the middle track.

"Not so clever now, are you, Little Thomas?" asked Gordon as he and James overtook him.

"Goodbye Thomas, better luck next time. Hahahahahaha!" laughed James. Gordon looked slyly at James.

"James. We both know you can't win," he said.

"Rubbish," said Rarity. "With his red paint, he can do-"

"Red, huh?" asked Rainbow. "You mean like that signal you just passed?"

"What?! OH NO!" yelled James and he ran onto a siding, through the buffers, off the track. Then when Gordon rounded a corner, he saw the crossing was blocked so he screeched to a stop.

"Unbelievable," said Rainbow. It was Oliver the excavator. He had stopped dead on the crossing, blocking the way for Max the dump truck and Bertie the bus.

"Oh hello Gordon," he said. "I've broken down, ya see. I'm waiting for the engineer." Just then, Thomas pulled up. Oliver was apologizing when Twilight saw an opening. She ran Thomas forward and knocked Oliver to the side. Gordon, not to be beaten by a tank engine, raced after him, bumping Oliver as well.

"Express coming through!" called the big engine. Thomas didn't have much of a lead, but he didn't need one because Crosby was right up ahead.

Thomas laughed in success. "We're going to win! We're going to win!" he puffed to Twilight as he raced ahead.

"Losing to a tank engine? Not today," said Gordon and quickly overtook him just as he cleared the station bridge, winning the race. "Yes! We've done it! We've done it!" he cried triumphantly to Rainbow.

"No hard feelings, Twilight, but it looks like we'll be going to London," said Rainbow. Twilight was a bit annoyed.

"If you think you can manage on your own," she said. Soon they arrived back at Knapford to find Sir Topham Hatt waiting for them.

"Oh. There you are," he said. "So have you decided who'll be taking the train?"

"Well, little Thomas?" asked Gordon smugly. Thomas sighed.

"We've decided that Gordon and Rainbow will go to London, sir." he said.

"Excellent. I'm glad that's settled," said Sir Topham Hatt. "Now Gordon, you'll be pulling the special train tomorrow with Spencer and Lightning Dust." Gordon was in fear in less than a second.

"Not Spencer!" he gasped. But what no one noticed was that Diesel was eavesdropping, and that night, he told the other diesels at the Dieselworks that Gordon and Spencer would be delivering the crown to London, so the Diesels planned to cut the engines off before they made it to London.

The next day, Gordon pulled up outside the Maritime Museum in disgrace. "Oh, I don't want to work with Spencer," he said, buffering up to the train.

"Maybe he won't show," said Rainbow. "Maybe he broke down up the line." Just then, the museum curator's assistant, Sterling "Armor" Sparkle, a young man with blue hair and a white coat came out. His name was Sterling, but he liked for everyone to call him Shining Armor, because it made him feel like a knight.

"Ah Gordon, Rainbow. Right on time," he said.

"Naturally, Armor," said Rainbow. "Glad to help,"

"I'm happy the Duke and Duchess and Sir Topham Hatt could loan us you and Spencer for this train," he said. "It's loaded with treasure bound for the Royal Gallery in London, containing incredibly valuable cargo, including-" Then out of nowhere, Sir Topham Hatt's friend, the Earl of Sodor, Sir Robert Noramby, came up.

"Oh, so many marvelous things, Gordon," he said. "Many marvelous things. I've provided dinosaur fossils and suits of armor from my ancient collection, and Captain Callous' treasure is on board as well."

"You are very generous, Your Grace," said Gordon.

"Almost to a fault," added Rainbow.

"Oh, don't mention it, my dear. Don't mention it," said the Earl, turning her to the horizon. "Discovery is my happiness, and said happiness should be shared."

"In addition, you'll also be responsible for returning the stolen crown to the royal family. Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II herself, will be on the platform in London waiting for you to collect it," said Armor.

"The Queen?" asked Rainbow excitedly.

"Indeed. So you'd do best not to be late. Queens don't like to be kept waiting," he chuckled. "Now, it should be a straight shot, but be aware that your final destination will be…"

"Oh, I'm well aware, Armor," said Gordon. "London's terminus is St. Pancras."

"What? I thought it was Kings Cross," said Rainbow.

"Really? I always thought London was Euston," said Arthur.

"Don't be ridiculous," said Thomas. "It's Waterloo."

"No it's not," said Oliver. "It's Paddington." Then Spencer and Lightning pulled in.

"Oh, for heaven's sake. All those stations are in London. The terminus just depends on who you ask." he said.

"Ohhhh." said everyone. Armor chuckled.

"Well, in this case, it's Euston," he said. "Now in terms of who'll be leading the train… Figure it out amongst yourselves." And with that, he and the Earl left. Once they were gone, the engines and girls gave each other a serious hate stare.

"We're leading!" they said at the same time.

"Since Spencer and I know the way, we'll be going in front." said Lightning.

"Oh please, you can't be the pilot engine. It's a lot harder than it looks," said Rainbow.

"Doesn't make any difference," said Lightning.

"Yeah, it kinda does," said Rainbow.

"Face it young one," said Spencer. "We know where we're going and I'm streamlined. If any engine should lead the charge, it should be me." Gordon was about to retort when he realized that was sound logic and sighed.

"Well, I suppose I'll be the bigger engine and let you have this one, cousin." he said as Spencer switched tracks and was coupled up in front of Gordon.

"Oh, Gordon, I knew you'd come to your senses," he said. "Now then, off we go!" he said, dragging Gordon along behind him.

"Whoa hey!" shouted Rainbow.

"Hurry up! Hurry up!" said Spencer impatiently.

"Ow! Quit pulling me!" said Gordon. Soon they were out on the main line bound for Vicarstown, with Gordon barely keeping up with his cousin. "Spencer, slow down!"

"Hurry up Gordon!" he said. "At this rate, we'll be late to see the Queen. Pull harder."

"I can't pull harder because you're dragging me. If you slowed down, then we'd be pulling it together," said Gordon.

"What? But we are pulling it together," said Spencer, slowing down. Once that was done, they started going faster. "Huh. It's all become much easier, but how?"

"Unless you and Gordon are going the same speed, you'll be pulling us and the train." said Rainbow.

"Heh. I gotta hand it to ya, Dash," said Lightning. "Maybe Gordon's better suited as a goods engine."

"What? A goods engine? I say," said Gordon angrily and he slowed down.

"Oh, now look what you've done." said Spencer.

"What we've done?" asked Gordon. "All we've done is teach you two to double-head a train properly." Soon, they arrived at the Vicarstown junction. Then they saw a frighteningly familiar diesel on their line.

"Hey, isn't that… Diesel 10 and Discord?" asked Lightning.

"What're they doing on our track?" asked Rainbow.

"Brakes! Now!" said Spencer, stopping and crushing Gordon between his tender and the train.

"End of the line, ladies," said Discord, jumping off his engine and stepping off the tracks. Then Diesel 10 honked his horn and more diesels rumbled down the various lines to block any and all escape routes.

"Oh, what a lovely, lovely day." said Derek, the Paxman diesel.

"What's the deal, Discord?" asked Lightning.

"A little birdie told me you four had something I'd very much like to get my hands on." he replied.

"And that would be?" asked Gordon.

"Why, the crown, of course," said Diesel 10. "Fork it over."

"Not a chance." said Rainbow.

"Um, can I just say I'm not really comfortable with this?" asked Paxton.

"Pipe down, Pax." said Bert.

"Anywho, you can either hand the crown over willingly, or we can take it from you," said Discord. "Your choice. You've got 10 seconds to decide." As he was counting, Rainbow saw a signalman switch the points behind Diesel 10.

"Spencer. You did say you wanted to lead the charge, didn't you?" asked Gordon.

"Gordon. What are you-" asked Spencer before Gordon pushed him forward.

"Charge!" he yelled and shoved Diesel 10 off their line just as Discord counted one. Then Gordon backed up and let the signalman flip the switch again. Then he pushed Spencer on down the line to the bridge.

"After them, you imbeciles!" shouted Discord. Derek only made it to the track crossing when he overheated again.

"Whew. That was close," said Gordon as the train crossed the bridge.

"Too close, I'd say," said Spencer. "Need I remind you that I'm a private engine, not a bulldozer?"

"Hey, no need to get so sore about it, Spence. You just proved you could be both," said Rainbow. A while later, Lightning noticed something.

"We're gonna need to stop off at Carnforth to refuel. It's a long way to London from here," she said.

"Finally, something I'm on par with," said Gordon. It wasn't a long trip to Carnforth and there was a water tower right outside the station that they pulled up to.

"You sound tired, Gordon. Why don't you fill up first?" asked Spencer.

"Suit yourself," he replied. Then Rainbow got a bit hungry and saw a café inside the station.

"Hey Lightning, I'm gonna go get something to eat. Can you fill up Gordon for me?" she asked.

"Sure thing. Get me a Rueben, will ya?" she asked.

"Will do." she said and went to the café as Lightning put the tower tube into Gordon's boiler.

"Save some for me, mind you," said Spencer. After a while, Gordon was almost full and Rainbow had returned with Lightning's Rueben and a turkey sandwich for herself. Then they heard a loud whistle.

"Hmm. Who was that?" asked Lightning.

"I know that whistle," said Gordon. "It's…" Then everyone jumped up in amazement.

"The Flying Scotsman!" they all said. And it was. Gordon's famous twin-tendered brother, the Flying Scotsman, rolled up with a woman with orange and amber-striped hair wearing a Royal Air Force Wing Commander's uniform.

Her name was Saffron Flare, but because her hair looked like flames, everyone called her Spitfire. She and some friends of hers were part of an elite unit of the RAF called the Wonderbolts, and she was their commander, but she always admired the Flying Scotsman and visited him whenever she was on leave. She was good friends with Rainbow too.

"Hello-hello, my dear Gordon. What brings you here?" asked the Scotsman.

"It has been way too long, Spitfire," said Rainbow, hugging the Commander. "We're taking a train up to the Royal Gallery."

"Well, enjoy yourselves, kid," said Spitfire, then she saw Lightning and Spencer. "And who have we here?"

"M-My Name's Lightning Dust and this is Spencer. He's a p-p-private engine." she stuttered.

"Oh. I suppose that's why we've never heard of him before." said the Scotsman.

"I trust you'll need plenty of fuel for the rest of your trip?" asked Spitfire.

"Yep. Filling up now. Matter of fact, we chose now for a quick lunch break. Care to join us?" asked Rainbow. Spitfire thought but then checked her watch.

"Ooh, wish I could, but we gotta run. Got a date with Soarin at the airfield," she said. "Make sure you have Spence there filled up."

"Oh, I don't need any water," said Spencer. "I can run for days on end without having to refill my tender."

"Oh really? I've versed myself in engine models and last I checked, the A4 can only hold 5,000 imperial gallons," said Spitfire.

"Well, Spencer's a modified version. Tanks are bigger on the inside," said Lightning. Rainbow and Gordon had to stifle their laughter after hearing that.

"Well, no time to argue. We gotta get going," said Spitfire, boarding the Scotsman as he pulled out of the station. "See ya round."

"Please be sure to come by Sodor again sometime, brother." said Gordon.

"Oh, I'd love to, but we must be going. Rail tour. You know how it is. Have a safe trip! Remember; teamwork is where it counts!" shouted the Scotsman as he left. After the tower tube was moved and Gordon's tanks were closed, Lightning jumped into Spencer's cab.

"Well, that's that then. Let's get going," she said and sent Spencer out of the station.

"What? Don't you need to fill up on water?" asked Rainbow.

"Water? Oh no, I'm fine," said Spencer. Later, Spencer had run out of water on the main line, and Gordon and Rainbow were not impressed.

"'Tanks are bigger on the inside', huh?" asked Rainbow.

"Not my fault." said Lightning.

"Yes, it is." said Gordon.

"Isn't. So we ran out of water, so what?" asked Lightning.

"Oh, for God's sake," said Rainbow. "Wouldn't be the first time either."

"We overestimated, that's all," said Spencer. Gordon was still as he started pushing.

"Argh! Now I have to push you _and_ pull the train all the way to…" said Gordon.

"Preston." said Lightning.

"Yes. Preston. Thank you. Glad to see you're pulling your weight somewhere." said Rainbow. Once at Preston Station, Spencer's tanks were filled to the brim before they continued on.

"We'd better not be late to see Queen Elizabeth because of you," said Rainbow. "At least it should be smooth running from here on out." But she was wrong. A storm rolled in and started pelting down rain on them as they thundered down the main line.

"How're we doing for time, Lightning?" asked Rainbow.

"Almost there, Dash. Almost there," she replied. Then Diesel 10 caught up with them.

"You won't be getting away from us this time!" shouted Discord.

"Oh, wonderful. It's him again," said Spencer and he sped up. "Put your pistons into it, cousin! He's gaining on us!"

"Ugh! I can't! You're dragging me again." said Gordon.

"Pinchy's hungry!" shouted Diesel 10, knocking the brakevan off the track. The conductor was all right, but the coupling between Gordon and Spencer was about to snap.

"What're you guys doing back there?" asked Lightning.

"Where's the crown? Where is it?" asked Discord.

"You can't have it. It belongs to the royal family," said Gordon.

"Listen here, Silver Wheels," said Diesel 10 to Spencer. "We're taking that crown, even if we have to scrap the both of you first. Now stop the train and hand it over!" Then he reached his claw aver to Spencer's cab, nearly hitting Lightning.

"Uh, Rainbow?" she asked.

"Not gonna happen." she said. Then Diesel 10 whacked his claw on a light post. Then, as they were crossing a bridge, Spencer's front bogie came off the track, dangling off the bridge and Diesel 10 toppled over, gaining his balance with his claw.

"Oh great. Now what?" asked Lightning. Rainbow saw Diesel 10 struggling to get up.

"That oughtta hold him for a while, but not very long. Back it up, Gordon!" she shouted. Quickly, Gordon reversed and pulled Spencer back on the tracks. Then they raced along down the line, leaving Diesel 10 struggling to get up.

"Oh, grease and oil!" he groaned. After a while, Rainbow started getting extremely bored.

"Ugh. Are we there yet, Spencer?" she asked.

"Nearly. And not only that, we're 30 minutes ahead of schedule," he said. "Might we be able to interest you in some sightseeing, Gordon? London is lovely this time of year."

"After what we've been through, I'd say we've earned it." he replied. So they took the next turn and puffed past all the lovely landmarks of London. After a while, they joined back up with the main line to Euston.

"Quite the detour, cousin," said Gordon. "I rather enjoyed it."

"Same here. It was great," said Rainbow.

"I'm glad, you two." said Spencer.

"Well, now that the tour's out of the way, let's get this delivery out of the way." said Lightning.

"Fine by me," said Gordon. "At least the weather's clearing up." Then it started raining again.

"You were saying?" asked Rainbow. Then Diesel 10's claw whacked the back truck of the train.

"You stupid kettles won't make fools out of us!" shouted Discord. "We shall have that crown, even if we have to rip your train apart truck by truck!" Then he started accelerating, but Gordon convinced him to slow down, letting Diesel 10 run right past them. He was just reversing when the train roared into the distance, both engines pumping their pistons furiously. Then a lightning bolt struck a tree ahead, making it topple over. The steam engines roared under it just as it nearly hit the end of the train, but Diesel 10 was stuck behind it.

"Break it down, Pinchy!" shouted Diesel 10, but when he hit the tree, he derailed, knocking Discord, who was standing on his roof off with a Wilhelm scream. Once they arrived at Euston, Gordon and Spencer shunted the trucks into a siding and sat side by side with Rainbow and Lightning high-fiving on the platform.

"Ha-ha! We made it, old chap!" said Spencer. Then an old woman approached them with two royal guards with her.

"Queen Elizabeth!" said the girls and bowed.

"Gordon, Spencer, Railey Dash and Laurel Dust," said the queen. "We are truly grateful for your efforts to return the crown to the royal family."

"Of course, ma'am." said Spencer.

"You're more than welcome, your honor." said Rainbow, standing up.

"For generations, the crown was hidden away on Sodor," the queen continued. "The villains who stole it would stop at nothing to make certain it remained in their clutches." Then Diesel 10, who had rerailed himself, rolled in, covered in brush and sparks coming from his exhausts, but still in one piece.

"Oh, pardon us, your majesty," said Discord, stepping down and avoiding some sparks from his engine. "We have unfinished business here."

"I'd say your business here is finished actually." said Gordon.

"What is the meaning of this?" asked the queen. "Guards, clap the driver in irons and shut this thing down. See to it they are shunted away and sent back to Sodor." The guards did so and as another diesel readied to haul Diesel 10 away, Rainbow spoke up.

"You sure you don't want to keep 'em, your majesty?" she asked.

"No thank you, my dear." she replied.

"This isn't over! It will never be over!" shouted Diesel 10 as he was hauled away.

"No, I'm fairly certain it's over." said Lightning.

"We would like to present you all with medals of valor for braving a storm while fending off that horrid diesel and his terrible antics," said the queen, one of the guards handing her a small box. "You are all really useful indeed."

"Oh man, this is an honor." said Lightning.

"Thank you, your majesty." said Gordon. But then, the queen realized she only picked up two medals.

"Now who should carry the medals?" she asked. "Hmm. Figure it out amongst yourselves, I suppose." Later on, at the harbor, they started talking about who should have the medals.

"My dear Spencer, Rainbow and I already have fire service medals. So I think you and Lightning should keep the medals of valor." said Gordon.

"Nah, we couldn't." said Lightning.

"Please. Take 'em." said Rainbow.

"We couldn't," said Spencer. "You taught us so much, and you saved us from falling off that bridge."

"Exactly. We wouldn't be standing here if it weren't for you." said Lightning.

"Yes, but you knew the way." said Gordon.

"Oh, tish-tosh. Sure, we were helpful, but you were essential." said Spencer.

"Take the medals, Lightning. You deserve them." said Rainbow.

"No, you deserve them."

"Lightning, just take the medals."

"I say we leave it open for discussion," said Spencer. "Shall we take the long way home to decide who bares the honor?"

"Now, I agree with you again." said Gordon.

"Y'know, with all said and done, it was a grand adventure indeed, don't you think?" asked Lightning.

"Totally," said Rainbow. Soon they arrived in New York City and Spencer reached a consensus on something.

"We've decided you and Rainbow can have the medals, Gordon." he said.

"You sure?" asked Rainbow.

"Yeah. You deserve 'em after all." said Lightning.

"All right then. Where're the medals?" asked Gordon.

"I thought you had them." said Spencer.

"What? I thought you had them."

"Please tell me one of us picked up the medals." said Lightning.

"You were supposed to take the medal!" everyone said.

"Spencer…"

"Gordon…"

"Relax, guys. I've got them right here." said Rainbow, moving her jacket to reveal the medals, one pinned inside and one in her pocket. Then she attached it to the inside of Gordon's cab with a magnet.

Meanwhile, back on Sodor, Diesel was at the pier when Paxton rolled up.

"Oh, hello Diesel," he said. "Did you hear Diesel 10's back?"

"Yes. And without the crown." he replied.

"Oh right. Why'd you guys want it anyway?" asked Paxton.

"That doesn't matter. What does is that this is the second time we've almost gotten our hands on it and failed," said Diesel. "And yet, he's still the one bossing us around."

"Quite honestly, I think most of us follow him because we're afraid of him." said Paxton. Then they heard someone behind them.

"In that case," he said with a sinister voice. "I suggest a change of leadership." Diesel reversed to see it was a man in a black suit and red tie with a boutonniere made of three red crystals with jet black hair and burning red eyes.

"And who, may I ask, are you?" he asked.

"Well, my name is Salvestro, but most call me… Sombra," he said. "So how about a coup d'état?" Diesel began to evilly laugh at that idea.

Meanwhile, Diesel 10 had finished carving a self-portrait in a mountain and Splatter and Dodge had sold it, and with the money, bought a line of tankers of premium fuel that increased diesels' top speed dramatically.

 **See where this is going? Anyways, join us again later for some more fun on the rails.**


	4. Rescue the Runaway

**Ch. 4: Rescue the Runaway**

While Gordon and Spencer were delivering the treasure train, Thomas was taking a passenger train as he and Twilight regaled Annie, Clarabel, and Twilight's dog, Spike with the race.

"And I noticed that there was just enough room for me to squeeze past Oliver, so I did, leaving Gordon and Rainbow behind at the crossing." said Thomas.

"Oh, you cheeky little engine." said Annie.

"What happened next?" asked Clarabel.

"Well, they still beat us to Crosby, but only just," said Twilight. Then Thomas saw something at the crossing.

"Oh look. There's Bertie," he said and whistled at the bus. "Hello, Bertie."

"Afternoon, Thomas," he replied. "Fancy a race?"

"Sorry. Can't today. Sir Topham Hatt needs us at Knapford. Something about a special." said Twilight.

"Another day maybe," said Bertie and he drove on. Twilight chuckled to Thomas.

"You'd think Bertie would get tired of losing races to us, y'know?" she asked.

"Does that mean you're not going to try and race Gordon again?" asked Annie.

"Oh, very funny Annie," said Thomas sarcastically. Then he saw Percy and Pinkie up ahead. They were pulling a long line of stone trucks and looked very tired.

"Hello Percy," said Thomas. "You look like you're enjoying yourself."

"Oh. Hello, Thomas." Percy panted.

"Well. Glad we don't have to do their work," said Twilight.

"You're quite lucky, Twilight. You too, Thomas," said Annie.

"Poor Percy looks very put-upon indeed," said Clarabel. Soon, Thomas arrived at Knapford and whistled loudly.

"Ah Thomas," said Sir Topham Hatt. "Right on time."

"As always, sir." said the engine. The controller laughed.

"Almost always," he said. "Now then, I need you up at the Quarry this afternoon to help Percy and Pinkie take an extra-long line of trucks to Brendam Docks." Thomas gasped.

"B-B-But sir, I thought you had a special for us." he stuttered.

"This is the special, Thomas," said Sir Topham Hatt. "Now off you go. The train needs to be at the Docks by five this evening. Good luck." Thomas was still aghast.

"Oh, botheration," he said. That afternoon, when he got to the quarry, he was still grumbling and being rather careless with the trucks, one of which he bumped into Arry.

"Oi! Watch what you're doing, you stinky steamy!" he said.

"Arry and Bert? What are you guys doing here?" asked Twilight.

"We're collecting some stone for the boss. But that's none of your business, now is it?" said Bert. Thomas just scoffed and steamed off. Later, Percy met up with him.

"Oh. Thomas. Thank heaven you're here to help." he said,

"Yeah yeah," said Thomas crossly. "Let's make this quick." And he bumped a truck hard before lining up with Toby.

"Be careful, Thomas!" he said. "Some of these trucks are loaded with the dynamite we use for blasting. You don't want to cause an accident."

"Yes Toby, I know," he said, looking back at Percy. "C'mon Percy, let's get this train together." Soon nearly all the trucks were in line, but he accidentally shunted a stone truck into a dynamite van, sending it rolling down the line before it exploded at the buffers.

"Thomas! What did I tell you about-?" said Toby before the alarm sounded through the quarry. Then the mountainside started rumbling.

"Uh-oh." said Twilight as she boarded Thomas.

"Rockslide! Everyone out of the quarry! Now!" shouted Toby. Thomas and Percy quickly hurried along the line as boulders rumbled down the slopes and reduced many of the nearby buildings to rubble. But Arry and Bert weren't fast enough to escape and they got buried in stone and earth.

"Whew. That was a close one. Ow!" shouted Percy as Thomas bumped into him, knocking Pinkie off the footplate.

"Percy, watch what you're doing!" he said.

"No Thomas, you watch what you're doing!" said Toby.

"Yeah, what's with you today?" asked Twilight.

"Uh hello?" said Percy as he started out of the quarry. "I can't stop."

"Percy, wait up!" shouted Pinkie.

"Oh boy, now you've really done it Thomas." said Toby.

"Don't worry, Percy," said Thomas. "We're coming!" And he started after Percy, Twilight hauling Pinkie into the cab.

"Help! Help! Someone stop me!" shouted Percy.

"We need a plan, Thomas!" said Twilight. "We can't jump to Percy. How're we gonna stop him?"

"We'll have to couple up behind him. It's the only way to stop him," said Thomas.

"Right," said Twilight. Pinkie started shoveling coal for dear life. Then they saw Diesel ahead near the crossing.

"Oh no! Diesel, look out!" shouted Percy. Just as Diesel left the crossing, Percy and Thomas ran across. Then Twilight saw someone in Diesel's cab. Someone she didn't recognize.

"Who was that?" she thought.

"That was way too close," said Percy, then he saw a road crossing ahead. "Close? Closed! Gates are closed! Gates are closed!" The gates were locked on the tracks, allowing only road vehicles to pass. On the crossing was Trevor the traction engine with a trailer of apples and Applejack at the wheel. Percy smashed through the gates and tipped the apple trailer, knocking it over.

"Sorry, Applejack!" shouted Twilight as Thomas rushed through. "Kinda busy right now!"

"Ah noticed!" she shouted after them. Then Percy saw James up ahead with Rarity and a goods train. After seeing Percy, Rarity quickly applied the brakes and set James in reverse.

"This is getting ridiculous!" said Twilight.

"Agreed," said Thomas. "James! Switch lines! Quickly!"

"Percy, what the devil are you doing?!" asked Rarity.

"I don't have a driver or fireman. I can't stop!" he replied. Quickly, a nearby workman switched James to a siding and sent Percy on ahead with Thomas in hot pursuit. Then they saw Edward on the other line with the mail train. Percy raced past, perplexing the old engine. Then Thomas roared up.

"Edward! Edward!" shouted Twilight. "Percy's a runaway! Do you have a shunter's pole?"

"Yes, it's in the brakevan," said Edward. Thomas quickly ran to the back and Twilight grabbed it from the conductor.

"Got it. Thanks, Edward," said Thomas. Twilight then clambered out to Thomas' buffer beam. Then Edward found himself stuck behind Duck's afternoon passenger train.

"We can't put anyone else at risk," said Twilight. Thomas quickly saw a signalbox ahead and knew what to do.

"Peep-pip-pip-pip-peep! Stop all trains! Stop all trains!" he whistled. After that, all the signals along the main line went red.

"Just us and you, Percy." said Pinkie.

"Hurry Thomas! Please!" shouted Percy. Twilight tried to couple Percy up to Thomas' front end, and after a few attempts, they got it. Then Thomas saw they were diverted to the harbor. Percy went through the buffers and fell face-first into the bay.

"Percy! You alright?" asked Pinkie, running to the engine.

"Please, Thomas!" Percy burbled under the water. "Get help!"

"We will. Stay here," said Twilight. Later on, they and Toby returned with the breakdown train and winced Percy onto a flatbed.

"It's all right now, Percy." said Toby.

"Let's take you to the Steamworks, Percy," said Twilight. "Victor will have you fixed in no time."

Later, Percy was repaired but still needed some maintenance at the sheds. Then Sir Topham Hatt rolled up in Bertie.

"Thomas, I was not pleased to hear about your performance on the branch line today," he said.

"Yes, sir. Sorry sir," said Thomas.

"But you did rescue Percy, and for that, I'm proud of you." he finished.

"And grateful too." said Percy.

"However," said Sir Topham Hatt. "While Percy is being mended, you and Twilight will need to do his work as well as your own."

"Yes, sir. We will, sir," said Twilight.

"Attagirl. Thank you. Good evening, everyone." he said and walked back to Bertie.

"Good night, sir." everyone said. Later, Mavis had dug Arry and Bert out of the rocks at the quarry and was taking them back to the Dieselworks when they passed a sign that said "Kirk Ronan Time Trials" staked next to the line.

"Hmm. This could be interesting," said Arry.


	5. Racers on the Rails

**Ch. 5: Racers on the Rails**

Sir Topham Hatt had decided to see how all his engines faired in a challenge of speed, so he arranged there to be time trials run across the island, and for them to be televised. Right now, Douglas was in the lead against Spencer.

"Douglas just might win it!" said Nigel, one of the introducers.

"Oh no, Spencer is pulling ahead." said his partner Stan. Then Spencer roared through across the finish line.

"And it's over!" said Nigel. "After a few firing issues, Spencer and Lightning Dust have won this race."

"Amazing as always." said Stan. Then their cameras cut over to Rolf's Castle.

"Hello and welcome, ladies, gentlemen, and engines, to Rolf's Castle Station," said Nigel. "And coming up next…"

"A race sponsored by our dear friends at the Sodor Shipping Company," said Stan.

"Let's see who we've got competing today," said Nigel. "First up, it's Gordon and Rainbow Dash, the Express duo." Rainbow, having heard her name, looked up from Gordon's pre-race maintenance and waved at the camera.

"And representing Team Diesel are the one and only Diesel 10 and Discord." said Stan.

"Now before we begin, I have to ask; What exactly are our competitors pulling?" asked Nigel, referring to the yellow coach-like pieces of rolling stock coupled on behind the two engines.

"Those would be Dynamometer cars. They're used to measure engines' performance throughout the race, including their speed." said Stan.

"Ah, quite interesting stuff, Stan. Now let's get this show on the road." said Nigel.

"I think you mean on the rails, Nigel." said Stan.

"Oh, nice one Stan. Nice one." chuckled Nigel. "Now then. On your marks…"

"Get set…" said Stan.

"GO!" shouted Nigel. "And they're off! What an exciting event!"

"Not to mention, a rather spectacular view from our eye in the sky, Harold the Helicopter." said Stan.

Out on the line, Rainbow decided it was time for some mid-race trash-talk. "Not so easy to keep up when we've only got one car, eh Discord?" she asked. He and his diesel just growled as they roared down the track, with Gordon taking an early lead. Everyone watching the live feed from Harold's camera cheered for their respective engines. Gordon was enjoying himself enormously as he and Rainbow rumbled down the line. Then out of seemingly nowhere, green smoke started flying out of Diesel 10's exhaust vents and he started to speed up, nipping at the back buffers of Gordon's car and still going faster.

"What the?" asked Rainbow.

"You were saying, my dear?" asked Discord as Diesel 10 pulled in front and a large cloud of green smoke shot from his vents. Rainbow and Gordon were left coughing in the large diesel's wake. Diesel 10 was still accelerating as they approached the end of the line where Pinkie Pie was standing with the checkered flag. Gordon tried to pick up speed, but Diesel 10 just had too much of a lead.

"That devious diesel! How's he doing this?" asked Gordon. Diesel 10 was just opening it up for the home stretch when something in his motor broke and he came to a screeching halt. With that, Gordon rocketed across the finish line, screeching on the brakes.

That night, Gordon pulled into Tidmouth Sheds, very proud of himself.

"Well done, you two," said Edward. "You've made us all very proud."

"Thanks, Edward." said Rainbow reversing Gordon into his shed and jumping from the cab.

"Although I do wonder if you still would've won if Diesel 10 hadn't broken down." continued Edward.

"Uh, well. Of course, we would've. We just let him get ahead to make the race more interesting for the audience." said Gordon.

"Ah yes. I see," said Edward.

"Are you sure, Gordon?" asked Emily. "That's not what it looked like to me."

"Positive, Em," said Rainbow. "Besides, it made our finish all the more awesome."

"Well, grand or not, you represented the Steam Team well." said Henry.

"Why thank you Henry." said Gordon.

"What do you think, Twilight?" asked Thomas.

"Well, Gordon's the fastest engine on Sodor. I honestly don't see how Diesel 10 could've beaten him. But still…" she replied. Meanwhile, at the Dieselworks, the diesels were having a meeting about the race as men were working on repairing Diesel 10's engine.

"Huh. You sure damaged your engines, boss." said Dart. Diesel 10 seethed in anger as Diesel rolled up.

"You fool! You were just supposed to Gordon, not show off like that." he said.

"Ex-squeeze me?" asked Discord.

"You certainly are making a habit of letting the steamies get the better of us." said Diesel. Diesel 10 raised his claw in anger at that.

"What exactly are you saying, Diesel?" he asked. Then Sombra stepped down from Diesel's cab.

"You know exactly what he's saying, Diesel 10." he said.

"Who, might I ask, are you?" asked Discord.

"My name is Sombra. I'm Diesel's new driver." he said. Then Paxton rolled in with the two dynamometer cars from the race that afternoon. Discord went to see the results and saw that Diesel 10 got up to 103 mph, while Gordon only managed 96.

"You were saying, Diesel?" asked Diesel 10.

"You still lost the race," said Sombra. "But it seems that, when used correctly, that new fuel is just the edge we need to put those steam engines and their partners to shame." Then he laughed a bit.

Next day, Twilight and Thomas were running out on the branch line with Annie and Clarabel telling them about the race.

"If Diesel 10 didn't break down, I'm sure he would've won. He was too close to the finish line, and too far ahead of Gordon." said Thomas.

"But why would Gordon and Rainbow let Diesel 10 get so far ahead?" asked Annie.

"That's the thing. We're not sure they did." said Twilight. "Matter of fact, I think Diesel 10 was actually going faster than Gordon's full speed."

"But that's impossible," said Clarabel.

"Maybe it is. Maybe it isn't," said Twilight.

"If only we could prove it either way." said Thomas.

"Didn't you say they were both pulling dynamometer cars?" asked Annie. "They must've recorded both their top speeds."

"Of course. Good call, Annie. You're quite a clever coach." said Twilight.

"We'll have to go find them as soon as possible." said Thomas as he pulled into Great Waterton. Then Percy pulled in with a train of stone cars.

"Hello Percy." said Thomas.

"Oh. Hello, Thomas." Percy panted.

"We just figured out how we can see if Diesel 10 and Discord were really beating Gordon and Rainbow." said Twilight.

Annie scoffed. " _You_ figured out?" she asked.

"Oh. Well, Annie figured it out," said Thomas. "We're headed up to Rolf's Castle now to find those dynamometer cars. You want to come?"

"Of course," said Pinkie Pie as Percy pulled out. "But we've gotta finish this delivery first. Maybe after."

"Sorry Pinkie. We don't have that kind of time," said Twilight. "We'll have to go ourselves." And Thomas steamed away. Later, at the Rolf's Castle shunting yard, Thomas was surprised to see that the dynamometer cars were nowhere to be found.

"Huh. That's funny," said Twilight. "Those cars should be here." Just then, Donald and Douglas pulled in.

"Hullo Thomas. Ye look lost. You missing a cooch?" asked Donald.

"Two actually. There's supposed to be a pair of dynamometer cars here. Have you seen them?" asked Thomas.

"Aye. That wee diesel, Paxton took 'em away last night." said Douglas.

"Paxton took them? The diesels must be up to something," said Twilight. "Thanks for the help, you two. See ya later."

"Hey Thomas, what's the rush?" asked Donald.

"Sorry. We have to find those cars." said Thomas and he roared away. Soon, he pulled into the Dieselworks yards to find it was in horrible shape. Trucks and rusted-out parts were scattered everywhere. He pulled up behind some old vans just as Den and Dart rolled out of the main building.

"I'm tellin' ya, Den," said Dart. "It's that special fuel that did it. It's bad for your engine."

"Oh c'mon. It can't be that bad," said Den. "Diesel 10 just overworked himself, that's all."

"Well, if you say so," said Dart. "Anyway, c'mon. Let's get these parts."

"Special fuel? What're they talking about?" asked Twilight. Then Thomas saw two familiar yellow vans on a siding.

"There's the cars." he said. Quickly, he found a T-junction to turn around and Twilight coupled him up to the cars. Then Diesel came out with Sombra in his cab.

"We should've taken these cars back to the sidings last night," said Diesel. "I hope no one notices they were gone." Twilight quickly tightened the coupling and jumped into the cab. "Once this is done, we should focus on getting more-" continued Diesel until he saw… "Thomas!"

"Bail!" shouted Twilight and she forced the accelerator forward, sending Thomas roaring out of the yard.

"After them!" shouted Sombra. Dennis, the lethargic gray diesel groaned, but Diesel forced him and Sydney out of the yard.

"Come back here with those cars, Thomas!" said Sydney.

"Why do you need them?" asked Twilight. "They were never yours, to begin with."

"Oh. He's right. Why do we want them?" asked Sydney, absentmindedly. See, Sydney's a good sort, he just has short-term memory loss, so he forgets what he's doing a lot.

"Just help me get them so we can get this over with!" groaned Dennis. Soon they were out on the main line, but Ryan was up ahead on Thomas and Dennis' track. The driver quickly applied the brakes and Thomas was switched to the left track.

"What was all that about?" asked Ryan.

"Whoa! That was a little too close for comfort." said Twilight. Then Dennis bumped up behind Thomas' cars and he pushed him faster, trying to derail the tank engine, but Thomas shook him off. Then Twilight saw James and Rarity on the middle track up ahead.

"James!" Thomas whistled.

"Thomas? What's going on here?" asked James

"We'll explain later," said Twilight. "Right now, we need you to help us get away from those diesels."

"Right away!" said Rarity. Quickly, James switched to Thomas' line and buffered up behind him.

"Ready Thomas?" he asked.

"Ready James." he replied and James started speeding up.

"Full steam ahead!" he shouted, and he and Thomas left the diesels in the dust. Thomas and James didn't stop until they screeched into Tidmouth Sheds.

"Ha-ha! We've done it!" said Thomas. "Thank you, James."

"Our pleasure, Thomas," said Rarity. "But I think you have some explaining to do."

"Thomas? Uh, what are you doing with those dynamometer cars?" asked Gordon.

"Well Gordon, Thomas and I thought you might like to see the results of that race yesterday." said Twilight. "It was a rather grand victory for you after all."

"Uh, that's really not necessary." said Rainbow.

"What's all this about, Thomas?" asked Edward. Twilight boarded the cars and took the results.

"It seems Gordon really was losing the race," she said and everyone gasped. "Gordon only managed to get up to 96 mph, and Diesel 10 clocked in 103."

"That can't be," said Henry.

"There's no way Diesel 10 could go that fast." said Emily, but Gordon groaned in defeat.

"Ugh, it's true, but we have no clue how he was doing it." he said.

"Did you notice anything odd about him during the race?" asked Edward.

"Well, he was coughing green smoke out of his vents. Never seen a diesel do that before," said Rainbow.

"That's… quite unusual indeed," said Edward ponderingly.

"Wait a sec. Special fuel," said Twilight and she snapped her fingers. "Back at the Dieselworks, I overheard Den and Dart talking about some sort of special fuel. That's how Diesel 10 could go faster than Gordon."

"Wait a minute. Didn't Discord say he was going to sell the stolen crown for the money to buy special fuel a few months back?" asked Percy.

"Oh yes. You're right," said Thomas.

"Well, that explains why he was so insistent on stealing it off the treasure train we were taking to London," said Rainbow. "But how could they have afforded it?" Just then, Pinkie Pie saw something.

"I think that's the least of our problems right now." she said and pointed to where Stafford was pulling into the yard. Then the announcers from yesterday's race jumped out.

"Hello and welcome everyone, to another wonderful evening here at Tidmouth Sheds." said Nigel.

"Uh, Nigel? We're not doing that right now," said Stan.

"Well anyway. Gordon, you and Rainbow put on such a show yesterday that Sir Topham Hatt has agreed to have a relay race along the main line tomorrow. Steam engines versus Diesel engines," said Nigel. "Thomas, you and Twilight will be leading Team Steamie. Well, that's all for tonight. So long!" Then they hopped aboard Stafford and raced out of the yards.

"Well, unless one of the diesels breaks down in the middle of the race again, we're sunk." said Rainbow.

"Hmm. Not if we take their special fuel," said Twilight.

"Ooh! I feel a plan coming on!" said Pinkie. Later at the Dieselworks, Diesel and Diesel 10 were arguing about who screwed up worst when Stafford rolled in.

"Hello, Diesels! How are we this evening?" asked Nigel.

"Eh. We're good, thank you," said Diesel.

"Excellent. Good to see your engine's back in working order, Discord," said Nigel. "Now. Tomorrow afternoon, there's going to be a relay race along the main line. Isn't that right, Stan?"

"Indeed Nigel. Steam versus diesel. Each team will have six total competitors." said Stan.

"Diesel, you'll lead this team and start the race with Thomas." said Nigel.

"Uh, don't you mean Diesel 10?" asked Discord.

"Uh, no. Sir Topham Hatt recommended Diesel," said Stan.

"That's all for now. Good night and good luck tomorrow," said Nigel as he and Stan boarded Stafford and rumbled away. Once they were gone, Diesel 10 and Diesel went back to arguing.

Next morning, Thomas and Twilight rallied the Gordon, Percy, James and the Scottish twins for the race. "All right, guys," said Twilight. "We all know we could take down the diesels down in a fair race, but they don't plan on having one. Their special fuel gives them an unfair advantage, so we need to steal it before the race starts. Now here's the plan…" Later that day, Thomas and James rolled into the Dieselworks with the dynamometer cars to draw Dennis and Sydney away from their posts guarding the Dieselworks. Once they were gone, Gordon rolled in.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing here, steamy?" asked Diesel.

"Gordon! What a surprise!" said Den.

"What he means is, we haven't seen you around in a while," said Dart. "You here for some repairs?"

"Nah. Just here to see some old friends." said Rainbow.

"Oh. Uh, how wonderful," said Den.

"What he means is, we should go inside and catch up. C'mon then," said Dart.

"Sounds delightful." said Gordon and the three rolled into the main building. Diesel could tell something was wrong, but he couldn't put his finger on it, so he went inside too. Once he did, Donald, Douglas and Percy slipped in un-noticed.

"All right laddies," said Donald. "Let's find those fuel tankers." After a near-miss with some scrap wagons, they found the tankers… parked behind Diesel 10.

"Oh no. How are we going to get those cars without Diesel 10 noticing?" asked Percy.

"I've got an idea. Pinkie, take off our nameplates," said Douglas. "We'll distract him with a little trick we learned from Bill and Ben. Ready Donal?"

"Ready Dougie." said Donald. Once their nameplates were removed, Donald pulled forward and Percy got ready to move the tankers. Donald and Douglas then took turns puffing backwards and forwards on alternate turns to confuse Diesel 10 into taking his focus off the tankers, which Pinkie coupled up to Percy and he proceeded to pull them away. Then Diesel 10 realized something.

"Wait a second. Are there two of you?" he asked. To answer, both twins rocketed past Diesel 10. Then he felt a lack of weight on his coupling, so he honked his horn. "Steamy alert! They're trying to steal the Torvinetto fuel!" Percy and the twins rocketed out of the yard as fast as they could. After hearing Diesel 10 honk, Gordon decided now was as good a time as any to run.

"Well, it was nice catching up, but we've got to run. Got a race tomorrow after all." he said and roared at the doors which were still closed, but he bashed his way through them and raced after his friends.

On the main line, Pinkie looked at the tankers and saw one word written in bold; "Torvinetto's".

"Wait a sec. This fuel's illegal in the UK. How'd they get their hands on it?" she asked.

"Who cares? Just run!" shouted Donald. Soon they returned at the sheds, but they lost one of the tankers to the diesels.

"Well, if they still have some fuel, we'll have to be on our guard in the race," said Twilight. "We'll need to get some sleep for tomorrow." Meanwhile, the diesels were having issues of their own.

With only one tanker of fuel, they only had enough for two. Next morning, practically the entire island came to Knapford for the race.

"Well Stan, it sure must be great to be an engine participating in Sodor's first ever railway relay race." said Nigel.

"Indeed, Nigel. And look. There's our first competitor. Right on time; a fine example of good sportsmanship." said Stan. Diesel and Sombra were talking to Dart on tracks 1 and 2.

"Diesel 10 and I share the remaining premium fuel," said Diesel. "That should give us a good head-start and a decent finish."

"Yes. But even so, we can't take chances. Make sure the others are in their positions to set up the pitfalls." said Sombra.

"Right away, boss. Er, Sombra," said Dart and he rolled away.

"Ah, and it looks like our competitors are moving to the starting lines." said Nigel.

"And we're almost ready to begin, Nigel, but it appears there's an engine missing," said Stan, and he was right. Sydney was supposed to be at Wellsworth with Percy, but he was actually at the animal park.

"Oh, grease and oil! We need a replacement immediately," said Diesel. Then Phillip, the yard's box-cab shunter, who thinks he won a race against Gordon, rolled up alongside him.

"Oh! Hey Diesel!" he said.

"What?" the black engine asked.

"I can race. I'm very fast," said Phillip.

"Well, it's not like we have any other options," said Sombra. "To Wellsworth, child! And be quick about it!"

"Hurray!" cheered Phillip as he raced away. Then Thomas and Twilight puffed up alongside Diesel. Then Stafford pulled up on track three outside the station.

"Racers! Take your marks!" he said. Sombra turned the key in Diesel's ignition and Twilight readied Thomas' valves. "Get set…" The two engines looked at each other and were ready to roll. "GO!" With that, the two engines rocketed out of the yard. Out on the main line, Diesel started coughing green smoke from his vents and rocketed ahead, leaving Thomas and Twilight coughing in the dust.

"Ugh. Oh great," said Twilight, opening the regulator. "Come on Thomas! Faster!"

"I'm trying," he said. Soon Diesel roared into Wellsworth Station and bumped Phillip.

"Get going, you lummox," said Sombra. Phillip then raced down the track as fast as he could. Then Thomas raced in and sent Percy and Pinkie into the race.

"Hurry Pinkie! Catch Phillip now or the race is lost!" said Thomas.

"We're on it!" whistled Percy and he raced out of the station.

"Oh, it's far too late for that, Thomas." laughed Diesel before he started coughing at his own smoke. Soon Phillip and Percy reached Gordon's hill and Phillip rocketed over, leaving Percy struggling to catch up.

Then Phillip bashed into Den and sent him out. Then Percy roared down and bumped James and Rarity, sending them cruising down the track, with Rarity checking her reflection in her nail-polish. Soon, the red engine had finally overtaken with Den, when up ahead, another diesel, Norman, knocked a few barrels of oil onto the track from a tall rusty tower, sending one undamaged barrel onto James' track and oil all over, greasing up the tracks.

James screamed and tried to stop, but he slid into the oil, covering his paint in it. Rarity was lucky not to have been hit by it. They tried to get back into the race, but with the oil on the tracks, James' wheels spun and spun in place as Den rocketed by.

Soon James was loose, but disgusted. "Yuck! The diesels are cheating!" he shouted as he raced after Den. At Cronk Station, Arry and Donald were waiting. Den came first, sending Arry out, then James, still covered in oil.

Soon Bert and Douglas were in the race, and as Douglas took the lead, Dennis moved a truck full of flour onto his line, and just as he tried to stop, Douglas reduced the truck to splinters and flour covered him from funnel to footplate, even in his eyes.

"OH!" cried Douglas. "Ah cannae see!" Soon, Douglas and Bert bashed into Diesel 10 and Gordon, sending them flying towards Vicarstown at the same time for the last leg.

"Gordon! Rainbow! Thought it would be nice to catch up!" said Discord. Rainbow laughed.

"You'd better have gotten a good look at Gordon's front end at the beginning of the race, because all you'll be looking at while you're catching up is the back of his tender!" she said and sent Gordon careening away at full speed.

"Not today, my dear!" said Diesel 10 and he roared ahead, coughing more green smoke. Thankfully, Gordon got ahead again. Diesel 10 growled and saw Emily parked nearby with a flatbed full of logs. He quickly grabbed one with his claw and got ready to use it as a cricket bat.

"Rainbow, watch out!" cried Emily.

"Batter up, Gordon," said Discord and the log got wedged into the big engine's cab. Rainbow quickly dodged, but Gordon was hurt.

"I believe that wood is imported, Nigel," said Stan. Rainbow heard him over the radio Gordon had in his cab.

"Known for termites." said Nigel.

"TERMITES?!" asked Rainbow. She hated termites with every fiber of her body, so she quickly threw the log out of the cab. Soon the finish line was in sight with Shining Armor holding the checkered flag. Just then, Diesel 10 broke down again and screeched to a halt. Gordon rocketed across the line smiling all the way.

"And it's over!" said Nigel. "After a few mishaps, team Steamie has won the first ever railway relay race!"

"BOO-YAH!" shouted Rainbow. Everyone watching the big screen at Knapford whistled and cheered for the Steam Team. Soon the engines had shunted Diesel and Diesel 10 into Knapford.

"Goodness, what could've caused this sort of damage?" asked Sir Topham Hatt, looking at the two diesels' engines. Then Henry pulled in with the fuel tankers the engines had heisted from the Dieselworks as well as a girl in his cab. She had pale pink hair and light yellow clothes and moderate cyan eyes. Her name was Flora Shy, but everyone called her Fluttershy, since she was so nervous around people, but she loved animals of all sorts, and she loved to visit the forest with Henry.

"I think we can answer that, Sir," said Henry. "See, the diesels have been using this fuel as an advantage in all the races recently. It gives them a speed boost for a while, but after that, their engines basically explode."

"Oh. Torvinetto's," said Sir Topham Hatt. "Disgraceful. This fuel is illegal in the UK."

"That's what I said!" Pinkie Pie shouted from across the yards.

"Nevertheless, I will find out who is responsible for this." said Sir Topham Hatt and the Diesels coughed green smoke.

"It was him!/It was his idea!" they both said. That night, at Tidmouth Sheds, James and Douglas were getting much-needed wash-downs and Thomas complimented his team.

"It just goes to show you, Nigel," said Stan, who was standing nearby. "When you race with Team Thomas, friendship always wins." Everyone groaned at that.

"Ugh. God, that was so freakin' lame!" said Rainbow. At the Dieselworks, the diesels were having an indignation meeting about the race earlier that day. Soon Diesel and Sombra showed Diesel 10 and Discord the door.

 **Sonic Prime: And by that, I, of course, mean they kicked them out.**

Soon they were all alone on the main line. The next day, the diesels made an alliance with the trucks to assure diesels rule the railway.


	6. Philip's Bumpy Branchline

**Ch. 6: Philip's Bumpy Branchline**

It was a lovely day on the Norramby branch line and Arthur was enjoying the spring weather getting ready for an inspection the following day. Shining Armor was riding with him in the cab since he was transferred there from the Maritime Museum.

They had just reached the old pier rail which Thomas had fallen off of a few years ago when the faulty points sent them onto it.

Arthur tried to stop and hoped he could use the junk on it to slow him down but the trucks pushed him very close to falling off the edge. Armor, who had jumped into the water and waded back to safety, was worried, but he was certain he would be okay. Sadly, he was wrong. The trucks rolled slightly forward and snapped the coupling sending him into the water.

"Ugh, kippers. There goes my spotless record. Again." he groaned as the trucks laughed. Later on, Thomas and Paxton came with Rocky, the crane to take Arthur to the Steamworks.

"Don't worry, BBBFF," said Twilight as she tied Arthur to the flatbed Thomas brought. "It happens to the best of us every once in a while."

"Ugh. But the inspector is coming tomorrow. What will he think?" asked Arthur.

"Probably that something needs to be done about those faulty points." said Thomas.

"Twily, do you think you and Thomas could run Arthur's branch line for us tomorrow?" asked Armor.

"Um, I don't know. What do you think, Thomas?" she asked.

"Well, we are pretty busy on Ffarquhar." said Thomas.

"Please Thomas," said Arthur. "This inspection is important and no one on the island runs branch lines as well as you and Twilight." Twilight blushed at the compliment and smiled.

"All right, Shining Armor. We'll see what we can do," she said. Later, they had dropped Arthur off at the Steamworks, Armor off with his wife and Twilight's former babysitter, Cadence and arrived at the yard where Percy and Pinkie were busy shunting.

"Percy!" said Thomas.

"Hi Twilight!" said Pinkie, giving her friend a hug.

"Listen Pinkie, do you think you and Percy could run the Ffarquhar branch for us tomorrow?" asked Twilight. "Thomas and I are looking after Arthur's while it's being inspected."

"Sorry Twilight, we can't," said Percy. "We'll be working up at the Blue Mountain Quarry all day tomorrow."

"Oh bother. Toby's busy too," said Thomas. "Who can we get to run our branch line for us then?" Then Philip rocketed over.

"Oh! Thomas! Twilight!" he said.

"Philip?" asked Thomas.

"I can do that. I can run your branch line for you," said Philip.

"Oh uh, well thanks but, have you ever run a branch line before?" asked Twilight as Percy and Pinkie puffed away with a train of milk tankers chuckling.

"Mm… Nope, never. But I'm very hard-working and I'm very fast." said Philip anxiously.

"Hmm. Well, we don't really have any other options at the moment, so all right," said Thomas. "We'll explain everything you have to do tomorrow morning."

"Great! I can't wait! This is gonna be so much fun!" said Philip, running away back to work.

"This should be interesting," said Twilight. Bright and early the next morning, Thomas steamed into the yard to find Philip still fast asleep in his shed.

"Philip. Philip!" said Thomas, waking him up a bit.

"Ugh. Five more minutes, driver," he said groggily.

"Philip, wake up. It's Thomas and Twilight," said Twilight.

"Oh, Thomas. What are you doing here?" asked Philip.

"You said you'd run our branch line today, remember?" asked Thomas.

"Oh, that's right. I'm very excited about that. I can't wait to get started. So what do I have to do?" he asked. Thomas and Twilight looked at each other worriedly. If Philip forgot he would run the Ffarquhar branch line overnight, they didn't even want to think about what he may forget on the job.

Later, he ran into the yard and bashed into Annie and Clarabel.

"Wake up you two," said Philip. "Time for our first train."

" _Our_ first train?" asked Clarabel.

"Where's Thomas and Twilight?" asked Annie.

"Oh, they're busy today, so I'm running the line. It's gonna be great. We're gonna have such a good time together." said Philip and he roared out onto the line with the two coaches clattering and moaning behind him, but he didn't listen. He missed the first station, bumped the coaches around like he was in the yard shunting trucks, left them in a siding they weren't supposed to be in, and then he forgot to let the men at the Toryreck dairy remove the tube they use for filling milk tankers before the valve was closed, causing a large puddle of milk to spill all over the track.

"Silly little box-cab." said one of the men. Bertie the bus was rumbling along the road when he saw Philip's train and thought Thomas was pulling it.

"Hey Thomas, I think it's about time you took up my offer for another race." he honked. Then he drove around and saw Philip was pulling the train, but he had never met Philip before. "Oh. You're not Thomas."

"I'm Philip. I'm taking care of the branch line for him today. But I'll race you. I'm very fast." he said. Bertie chuckled.

"Oh, is that so?" he asked. "Well then, on your marks…"

"Get set…" said Philip.

"Go!" shouted Bertie. Philip raced along, but he bumped the trucks so much that some stone fell out of them onto the tracks. Soon Philip pulled into Knapford Harbor just ahead of Bertie.

"Only just," said the Bus. "We'll have to have a rematch sometime soon." That evening, Thomas and Twilight came to check on him.

"Hey, Philip. How 'd everything go today?" asked Twilight.

"Oh, it was amazing! I even finished early," said Philip. Thomas chuckled, clearly impressed.

"That's great." he said.

"How'd the inspection go?" asked Philip.

"Went well. The inspector was very pleased with the Norramby line," said Twilight. "He's coming to inspect Ffarquhar day after tomorrow."

"Thanks again for the help today, Philip. Good night," said Thomas and he steamed away.

"Anytime Thomas. Bye!" said Philip.

The next morning, Thomas pulled into the yard to collect Annie and Clarabel but they were nowhere in sight. Soon they found them in a siding at Ffarquhar station.

"Oh, there you are!" said Twilight. "What're you doing here?"

"That box-cab was far too rough for my liking," said Clarabel.

"And far too irresponsible." said Annie.

"So it would seem," said Thomas. "I wonder what else he's done wrong." He didn't have to wait long to find out. He splashed through the milk puddle at Toryreck and ran into some rocks Philip let fall on the track.

"Oh bust my buffers." said Thomas.

"If he can't examine simple railway safety rules, I'm surprised that box-cab can even find his own buffers," said Twilight, who had sprained her shoulder jumping overboard. Later, Diesel brought the breakdown train and a flatbed to take Thomas to the Steamworks and Twilight was given an arm sling. Philip was there too and was very apologetic.

"Oh, I'm sorry Thomas. Leaving Annie and Clarabel behind, the milk, the stones. It was all my fault. I didn't mean to, but sometimes I get a little excited." he said.

"Oh, it's okay Philip," said Twilight, sitting on the flatbed. "But it couldn't have come at a worse time. The inspector's coming tomorrow."

"Don't worry Twilight. I'll take my time and fix everything tomorrow," said Philip. "I'll make it all right again."

"Uh, that's nice of you, Philip. Really it is, but there has to be someone with more experience to do it," said Twilight as Diesel hauled the flatbed away.

"Don't worry Thomas. I've got this. The inspector will have a great time." said Philip. And he was right. He cleared the line, took his time with all his trains, and the inspector gave the line very high marks. Soon, Thomas and Arthur were both out of the works and Arthur had heard about the inspection of Thomas' line when they met at Knapford

"Hello, Thomas. Glad to see you're back in working order," said Arthur.

"How's the arm, Twilight?" asked Armor.

"I'll need to wear this sling for a while, but it'll be fine afterward," she replied. "So… did you hear how Philip's inspection went?"

"The inspector said it went, y'know, well." said Arthur.

"I'm almost afraid to ask, but how well?" asked Thomas.

"He, uh, he did say that Philip may be better at running your line than you two," said Armor. Then Philip ran into the buffers on track three. "Well… almost better." Everyone laughed at that.

Meanwhile, a red, black and yellow streamlined engine came across the Vicarstown bridge along with Spencer and an engine that looked like a blue version of him with red wheels.

Late that night, Edward pulled into Maron Station to see Sir Topham Hatt waiting on the platform.

"Evening Edward," he said. "During my investigation into the Torvinetto fuel, I discovered some illegal diesel engine parts have also been delivered. I need you to take them back to the mainland."

"Right away, sir," said Edward and he steamed away. Once Sir Topham Hatt was gone, Diesel 10 and Discord raced after Edward.


	7. The Fast and the Fizzleboxes

**Ch. 7: The Fast and the Fizzleboxes**

Edward was taking the train of illegal diesel parts back to England, but Diesel 10 and Discord were closing in. The large diesel rolled up behind Edward and lowered his claw with Discord on it and a shunter's pole in his hand, and he uncoupled the cars from the old engine with no one noticing.

The diesel chuckled cruelly. "C'mon Pinchy. Let's see what we've got here." he said and used his claw to remove the tarp from one of the trucks, only to find it empty. He went down the line of trucks, uncovering them all as well, only to find that the whole train was empty… apart from the conductor in the brakevan, who had just phoned control at Knapford.

"Well. We're boned." said Discord. Meanwhile, at the Dieselworks, Arry, and Bert rolled in with a train the same length as the one Edward was taking. The diesels had orchestrated it from the get-go; they had substituted the trucks loaded with special parts with empty trucks to throw everyone off.

"Can't believe that actually worked," said Bert. "So, where do you need these trucks, Den?"

"Uh, put those over there please, Bert." said the absent-minded diesel.

"What he means is we need to sort through these parts," said Dart. The two rolled away with the cars as Diesel and Sombra laughed at their plan going extremely well.

Next day, Rarity and James were hauling a slow-goods train down the main line. "I hate slow goods trains." said James crossly.

"Quite honestly, who doesn't?" asked Rarity. The trucks started making mischief, but James made them behave with a well-timed slam on the brakes and bump against the tender. Then after they got rolling again, Spencer shot past them.

"Hey Spencer! Watch the finish!" shouted James. Then another engine ran by on the other side. He looked almost exactly like Spencer, but he was blue with red wheels. After he passed, James and Rarity were quite confused. Then they heard a loud whistle behind them.

"Out of the way, slow coach!" shouted a French-sounding voice.

"What?! Who're you calling slow coach?" asked James.

"I'll have you know that James is one of the fastest engines on Sodor," said Rarity from the cab. Then James switched to the right track and let the other engine pull up alongside him. He was a large streamlined tender engine with twin drive-axles who was painted red and black with yellow stripes. Once he got alongside James, he laughed.

"Ha-ha. Not even streamlined. If that's what Sodor has to offer, I am not impressed. Adieu." he said and raced away.

"How rude!" said James.

"I agree. No matter how glamorous his color scheme is, that engine is too big for his buffers." said Rarity. They were so focused on that engine, they almost forgot to stop at Maron to pick up more trucks. Later that afternoon, they pulled into the shunting yard to find the engines from earlier. James was very confused.

"And then, I sped through the tunnel, over the icy bridge, cut through the Swiss Alps, and won the Grand Prix." said the red and black engine.

"Wow." said Percy.

"Amazing." said Duck.

"You're incredible, Axel." said Thomas.

"Oh, you're too kind, my friend." said the engine, now known as Axel.

"What on Sodor?" asked James. Then Henry and Fluttershy pulled in alongside him and Rarity.

"Oh, hello James." said the green engine.

"Afternoon, Henry. What's going on here? Who are all these engines?" asked Rarity.

"Oh um, well, the blue one is Mallard, Spencer's brother, and the red and black one is Axel," said Fluttershy. "I think I heard him say he's Belgian, but I have no clue why they're here."

"Me neither, but I suppose we'll find out soon." said Henry.

"Hmph. Well, I'll tell you one thing; that Axel fellow is a complete show-off," said James. Henry was rather skeptical, but he didn't say anything.

Meanwhile, Diesel 10 and Discord were getting interrogated by Sir Topham Hatt at the rubbish dump, regarding the night before.

"Please sir, we're telling you the truth," said Discord. "We have no clue what happened to those parts."

"Be that as it may, I've had just about enough of you and your engine's misbehavior, Mr. Cory," said Sir Topham Hatt. "In fact, I'm starting to regret hiring you in the first place. Now, Diesel 10. Cause any more trouble on my railway, and I'll have that claw of yours removed."

"Not Pinchy!" whimpered Diesel 10. Then Sir Topham Hatt's mobile phone started ringing. He answered and it was Ms. Celestia, his secretary.

"Sorry to disturb you, sir, but I believe you have a pressing engagement at the shunting yard." she said.

"Of course, Just tying things up here. I'll be there soon." said Sir Topham Hatt and he hung up and turned to Diesel 10. "You two can make yourselves useful here until you're needed, which won't be any time soon. Now, if you'll excuse me." Then he drove away. Soon he pulled in to see quite a lot of engines.

"All right everyone, settle down," he said. "As you may have noticed, we have three special visitors here today; Spencer, Lightning Dust and the Mallard from the Mainland, and Axel from Belgium. And Mallard here has some very special news for us."

"Hmm? Oh, yes, of course. Um, good afternoon, everyone. For the next week or so, we shall be holding a racing tournament." Everyone seemed very in favor of that plan. But then, Emily ran through the yard at a break-neck pace, with trucks pushing hard behind her.

"Not to worry, mademoiselle," said Axel. "I will save you." Then he roared out of the yard after her. Out on the main line, Emily was trying her best to stop the trucks herself, but her brakes needed repairs, so she couldn't stop, no matter how hard she tried, before she wound up accidentally running Phillip off the line. Then she saw Axel running up alongside her and was seriously confused.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"Never mind that now. I'm here to help," said Axel. "Keep braking as hard as possible. I'll go on ahead and switch onto your line." Now this of course sounded crazy to Emily, but she wasn't exactly in a position to argue if she wanted to get out of this ordeal in one piece, so she quickly agreed.

Axel roared on ahead but then, he saw Ryan and Sunset ahead on his line. Sunset applied the brakes, and Axel quickly switched onto Emily's line where she bumped into his tender.

"All right. If we both brake together, we can stop them," he said. "Ready?"

"Ready," said Emily. Quickly the two engines locked their brakes as they were diverted onto a siding. They screeched to a stop just as Axel rammed into the buffers.

"Well, that was interesting," he said before introducing himself. "I'm Axel, and I am at your service, mademoiselle." Emily blushed a bit as she responded.

"I- I- I'm- I'm Emily," she said nervously. "Th- Thank you so much for your help." Later, Axel returned to the shunting yard after a successful rescue mission with Emily in tow.

"Well done, Axel. You prevented a nasty accident." said Sir Topham Hatt.

Axel whistled in triumph before simply responding "It was nothing, sir."

"Indeed," said Mallard. "Now then, any engine wishing to participate in the racing tournament is to sign up at Knapford tomorrow morning. Human partners are allowed, but they must stay with their engines at all times during the race. The final four teams will race against each other along with Gordon and Rainbow Dash, the fastest Sudrian team, for the Sodor Cup."

"Will you be competing, Mallard?" asked Twilight. Mallard said no, and that Axel would race in his stead until next year.

"I'm looking forward to going up against Sodor's finest." said Axel. James chuckled to Rarity.

"That cup is as good as ours." he said. No one noticed Dart oiling away to the Dieselworks. Once back, he was greeted by Sombra.

"Did everything go as planned?" he asked.

"Oh, the trucks did their best sir, but some visiting engine got in the way." said Dart.

"Interesting," said Diesel. "At least we know they can be trusted."

"And there's going to be a racing tournament." added Dart.

"Excellent. This is our chance to use those new parts." said Sombra.

"Yes. We'll use those special parts to win the race and prove once and for all that diesels are better than steamies," said Diesel and he and Sombra laughed evilly.

Next morning, Rarity and James pulled into Knapford to sign up for the race.

"Name please?" asked the official on the platform.

"Uh, James." he said.

"Partner?" asked the official.

"Rachel Arkwright." said Rarity.

"Please wait in the sidings," said Mallard.

"Next!" shouted the official as James rolled into the siding, parked right next to Henry.

"Fluttershy? You and Henry are entering the competition?" asked Rarity.

"Oh well, we thought it would be fun to compete," said Fluttershy.

"Ha! It's only fun if you win," said James.

"Oh, now that's not true James." said Henry.

"If you say so," he replied.

"All right, all right, settle down," said Mallard. "Is there anyone yet to sign up? No? Good. Then everyone can direct their attention to the board." They all did and saw the race brackets lined up with four different slots; Foreign, Diesel, Tender and Tank engines, each lined up as follows.

For the Tender Engine Block; Henry and Fluttershy, James and Rarity, Neville, Molly, Donald, Douglas, Emily, and Murdoch.

For the Foreign Block; Axel, Stepney, Sam, Caitlin, Conner, Hiro, Gator, and Spencer.

For the Tank Engine Block; Duck, Percy and Pinkie, Ryan and Sunset, Thomas and Twilight, Stanley, Rosie, Arthur and Shining Armor, and Oliver.

For the Diesel Block; Arry, Bert, Den, Diesel and Sombra, BoCo, Daisy, Dart, and Phillip. Then at a slot near the center, Gordon and Rainbow's picture appeared.

"The races will begin immediately," said Mallard. "Tender engines and Visiting engines will compete along Edward's branch line. Tank engines and Diesels will compete along Thomas' branch line. Any questions? No? Good. I'll see you all soon." And with that, he puffed away. Then Henry smiled.

"Oh look James, we're going up against each other first." he said.

"Ha! Well, what do you know?" he said. Rarity checked her watch and reached for the regulator.

"Well, no time to lose. We'd best get to Wellsworth as soon as possible." she said and eased James out of the yard. Later that day, the two teams were lined up at Wellsworth, ready to race.

"Are you excited, Stan?" asked Nigel, the announcer.

"Always, Nigel," said Stan. "Our first race of the tournament will be between James and Rachel Arkwright, and Henry and Flora Shy."

"The first team to cross the finish line at Brendam Docks wins the race," said Nigel.

"Good luck, James." said Henry.

"You too, Henry. You're gonna need it," said James.

"And it looks like Mallard is just about ready to start the race." said Stan.

"Righto," he said. "On your marks… get set…" Then he blasted his whistle and James and Henry rocketed out of the station. James had an early lead, but then Henry caught slowly up. Rarity quickly opened the regulator all the way just as the two engines rocketed into the finish line in Brendam Docks and James zoomed across the line.

"We won! We did it!" laughed James triumphantly.

"Well done, James." said Henry.

"Good race, Rarity," said Fluttershy, shaking her hand from the cab. "It was quite fun."

"No argument there, my dear," said Rarity. Back at Wellsworth, Axel had just lined up against Stepney, the antique tank engine from the Bluebell Railway.

"Ah, this is too easy," said Axel.

"Engines at the ready!" said Mallard. "On your marks… get set…" Then he blew his whistle again and Axel shot out with Stepney trundling along behind him.

"Bluebells forever!" he said. Clearly, it was no contest since Stepney was old and liked to take in the scenery whereas Axel was young, strong and fast, which he demonstrated as he raced across the line and screeched to a stop.

"And that's how we do it in Belgium." said Axel as he coasted past James, who had a sour look on his face. Soon the races were getting underway all over the island. Thomas's race against Ryan didn't go quite according to plan as the diesels knocked some pipes onto Ryan's line and derailed him. The other races went far better though, with many engines putting in excellent legitimate times all over the island. There were a few more slip-ups, but they weren't as bad.

Soon enough, the brackets for the second round were set. James and Rarity against Molly, Donald against Murdoch, Duck against Thomas and Twilight, Rosie against Arthur and Shining Armor, Axel against Caitlin, Conner against Spencer, Bert against Diesel, and BoCo against Phillip.

That night, Axel was having a drink when James and Rarity rolled up alongside him. "Axel," James greeted him.

"James. Rarity," he returned. "Nice racing today, monsieur."

"Same to you," said Rarity.

"Although I have to wonder if you actually won or if that green engine just let you," said Axel rudely.

"Of course, we won," said James. "You're just lucky you were going up against an engine as slow as Stepney."

"James, don't speak of your elders that way," said Rarity haughtily.

"I know, I'm sorry," said James. "Either way, I don't think you'll do as well when you have to race Caitlin tomorrow."

"Oh-oh, really? It doesn't matter who you're up against," said Axel. "Because even if you do win, you'll never beat me in the final race. I can promise you that."

"Well, I suppose we'll just see about that," said Rarity.

"Oui. We will," said Axel as his tanks were closed and he steamed away. "Bonsoir, James. Mademoiselle Rarity. See you tomorrow." James rolled his eyes, but after being around him for so long, Axel was actually starting to charm Rarity. At the Dieselworks, the diesels were arguing over who would've won when Sombra walked in.

"Silence, you fools." he said.

"Don't worry about it, Arry," said Diesel. "None of us are going to win in the end."

"We wanted to, uh… ask you…" said Den. "Well, what I mean is…"

"What he means is we thought we were going to use the special parts to win," said Dart.

"Of course, we are, you dolts," said Sombra, looking through the parts. "But even with them, it's highly unlikely any of you shunter classes will beat the fastest in the world." Then Diesel rolled onto the elevator turntable and was raised up to his track.

"But I thought we were better than the Steamies," said Arry.

"We are. And a diesel will win the race," said Diesel as he rolled onto his track. "It just won't be one of us."

"Then who?" asked Dart.

"An old friend," said Sombra. "We just need to convince him to have these parts installed." The old friend he was referring to was BoCo, the Metropolitan-Vickers diesel. After all, who would suspect an engine like him of cheating? After all, he works for the Reverend Charles Laxey, better known as the Vicar of Wellsworth, and is by far one of the oldest diesels on Sodor. The next day, he was lined up at Tidmouth Yard waiting for Phillip when Henry rumbled in alongside James.

"Huh? Henry, what are you doing here?" he asked.

"Oh, we just thought we'd come by and support you in the race today." said Henry.

"Oh, well thank you, dearie," said Rarity.

"But I don't think we'll be needing it," said James. "We've got this in the bag."

"If you say so," said Fluttershy as Henry steamed away. "We'll wait for you at the finish line either way."

"Could BoCo and Phillip please make their way to the starting line?" asked Stan over the p.a. as the little box-cab rolled in. Then Diesel rolled up behind BoCo, and Sombra jumped off.

"Phillip, we need to speak to you," he said. Phillip rolled back and listened close.

"Now Phillip, we know you're excited to race today," said Diesel. "But we really need BoCo to win."

"What?! No!" said Phillip angrily. " _I'm_ going to win." And he rolled back to the line.

"In the race to the scrapheap unless you lose here," growled Sombra as he boarded Diesel. "Not that you'll have a chance against him." Then he rolled away just as Mallard arrived.

"Engines at the ready," he said. "On your marks… Get set…" Then with one loud blast of his whistle, the two diesels roared out along the coastal track.

"Careful, big diesel," said Phillip. "I'm gaining on you." BoCo gave a kind chuckle.

"Call me BoCo," he said. "And I'm sure you are, but you have to pass me first." Then Phillip saw a cow on the beach that mooed at him.

"Oh! Mrs. Cow is a fan," he explained.

"I imagine we'll have many by the time this is over," said BoCo. Then he saw the finish line in the distance and sped up. Phillip tried to pass him, but the big diesel just had much more horsepower as he passed the line and came to a smooth stop.

"Ha-ha!" BoCo laughed triumphantly. "Now that was a good run."

"Aw, I wanted to win." said Phillip upset.

"You did very well, Phillip," said BoCo kindly. "Look. Everyone's here to congratulate the both of us," Even the cow from earlier was there. Somehow.

"Oh, thank you Mrs. Cow," said Phillip. "You always know how to cheer me up."

"Is that the same cow?" asked a confused BoCo. Either way, BoCo was moving on the next round. Then back at Tidmouth, James and Rarity were lined up and Molly, the yellow Claud Hamilton engine steamed in alongside.

"Oh dear," she said nervously. "I'm not sure about this. Some of the other races resulted in some nasty accidents."

"Don't worry Molly," said Rarity. "It will all be over soon."

"And then," continued James. "You can cheer for a really splendid engine like me." Molly and Rarity both rolled their eyes as Mallard rolled in, rather winded.

"Are you alright?" asked Rarity.

"I'm fine, thank you," he replied. "Forgive me. I've been puffing all over trying to stat these blasted races." Then he got his breath back. "Let's hope this round is somewhat more compelling. Racers, on your marks… Get set…" He roared on his whistle and the engines raced out.

"Oh, this will be easy," said James.

"Oh, I'd say we're evenly matched James," said Molly.

"HA! And what makes you think that, Molly?" asked James. Then the yellow engine raced up alongside.

"Why hello there," she said as she steamed on.

"What?!" said James in amazement.

"It's those big wheels of hers," said Rarity. "Larger rims mean more speed." Then Rarity saw a tight corner coming up ahead. She knew that if James was going too fast around it, he might derail. Molly knew this too, and slowed down, but try as she might, Rarity couldn't get James to lower his speed as he roared into the corner. He leaned dangerously to one side, and he got the most unusual sense of déjà vu from his first day when his wooden brake-blocks burst into flames and he derailed, but this time he made it unscathed.

"Well, that was a little too risky," said Rarity recovering from the lateral g-force in the cab.

"Intended maneuver." said James.

"No it wasn't," said Molly as she steamed out from the corner. Then James and Rarity rumbled into the station to see Henry and Fluttershy there waiting for them.

"Ha-ha-ha!" laughed James. "We won! We won! Henry, did you see that?"

"We saw, James," said Henry. "You were splendid, but I think you should say something to Molly."

"I concur," said Rarity.

"I won! We should be celebrating!" said James, but he realized Henry and Rarity were right as Molly pulled in. "Okay fine! Uh, good racing out there today, Molly." Molly blushed a bit. She always liked James.

"Oh. Thank you, James. You too." she said and steamed away.

"My, someone is quite the smitten kitten," said Rarity and giggled. Henry knew what she was implying and chuckled. James just rolled his eyes and smiled that he was moving to the next round. And just as he did, Axel had beaten Caitlin to Kellsthorpe Road and made sure he was in the semi-finals.

Donald was raring to go and his engine rumbled. "Ha-ha! Let's see if there're any worthy challengers to test my mettle! Cmon! Who's next?" he bellowed, but what he got, being Murdoch, was much more than he bargained for. "Oh, ye've got ta be kiddin' me." Meanwhile, at the waterfront…

"Ha-ha-ha! Sorry Rosie," said Arthur as his pistons pounded. "Our winning streak is staying spotless!"

"Ha-ha. Are you sure about that?" asked Rosie as her wheels whirred. "I think you should've retired undefeated. I'll catch you!" Soon enough, engines were racing and winning everywhere. Then back at Knapford, James, Rarity, Henry and Fluttershy were looking at their tablets and saw the next matchups. Spencer and Lightning Dust were going up against Axel, Thomas and Twilight were going up against Arthur and Shining Armor, Diesel and Sombra were going up against BoCo, and James and Rarity were going up against Murdoch, much to James' fear.

"Oh no, we have to race Murdoch next?" he asked.

"He has ten drive wheels and a top speed of 90," said Rarity. "We'll never be able to beat that."

"Don't worry, Rarity," said Fluttershy, cleaning off Henry's lamp. "You have plenty of time before the race tomorrow. Henry and I can help you get ready." Then she walked over to the stationmaster, who also happened to be her father, and whispered something to him.

"Consider it done, Flora." he said and walked away. Fluttershy was happy as she boarded Henry.

"Follow us," she said and eased the green giant out of the station with James and Rarity close behind. "I have an idea." Soon the four were in the forest at an old junction.

"Henry dear, where are you taking us?" asked Rarity. Then a branch bonked itself against James' cab roof.

"OW!" he shouted as it broke off and landed in his coal.

"I asked my daddy to get us permission to practice out here in the forest for the semi-finals," said Fluttershy as Henry wheeled out a dynamometer car from a siding.

"My-my, Fluttershy," said Rarity. "That's quite kind, especially for you."

"Yes indeed," said James. "Thank you."

"It was nothing," said Fluttershy as the car was buffered up behind James. "Now then, let's see just how fast you can really go."

"Ready?" asked Henry pulling up alongside.

"Ready as I'll ever be." said James.

"On your marks…" said Fluttershy.

"Get set…" said Rarity.

"Go!" said Henry and the two raced down the forest line. That evening in the yard, BoCo was shunting when Edward pulled in.

"Do be careful with those trucks, BoCo," the old engine said. "They've been on their worst behavior lately."

"Sorry Edward," said BoCo as he turned to face him on the turntable. "I've had my mind on other things. Were you in the races today?"

"Oh goodness no," said Edward. "I have a branch line to run here. Have a good night, old friend." And he whistled as he steamed away.

"You too, Edward." honked BoCo. Then he turned around to see Den and Dart approaching.

"Evening, BoCo." said Dart.

"Oh, Dart and Den. What a pleasant surprise," he said. "What are you two doing here?"

"We wanted to… Uh, ask you…" said Den. "Well, what I mean is…"

"What he means is you're a natural on the racetrack," said Dart. "We were wondering if you wanted a little… tune-up before the semi-finals tomorrow."

"Why thank you," said BoCo. "Nothing serious though. Just some tighter bolts and maybe an oil change will be fine."

Den chuckled. "Yep. Just a tune-up," he said.

"Yeah…" said Dart as the three rumbled away. "A quick fix, you might say." A large crow perched on the electric wire overhead and squawked out in the late evening light. Next morning, tons of people came out to the station to watch James and Murdoch race. On a large nearby screen, the spectators could see the races beginning. Murdoch was very uncomfortable with all the cheering from the spectators as James pulled in.

"Remember the forest, James." said Rarity.

"Not to worry. I will," he said. Then Mallard appeared on the screen.

"Engines. On your marks…" he said. "Get set…" Then with a long loud blast on his whistle, the engines raced away, Murdoch driven more by the desire for peace and quiet than that for victory. James did his best to keep pace, but Murdoch was far too fast for him. Up ahead, just like in James' last race, there was a tight bend. Murdoch slammed on his brakes and emptied his sandboxes as much as he could for traction, but he slipped off the tracks and wound up wheel-deep in mud. Luckily, no one was hurt, and James roared past, extremely happy as he sliced through the finish line.

"My heavens, James, you've gotten better on those tight turns." said Rarity.

"Chalk it up to a lot of experience." said James proudly. Then Rarity saw that Thomas, BoCo and Axel had all won their races, but also that Murdoch seemed damaged.

"Oh dear!" said Henry. "I hope poor Murdoch isn't hurt."

"Oh, don't worry about him Henry. I'm sure he'll be fine," said James. "Besides, I won. I'm in the finals."

"I think I'll go and help rerail Murdoch," said Fluttershy as she eased Henry away. James was very smug but then he saw Rarity jump to Henry's cab, leaving him behind. "See you later, James."

"What? Guys…" he said upset. Murdoch was actually having a great time in the peace and quiet of the forest… which was interrupted by a wild cow. That evening, James was heading home for a good night's rest when he saw Axel in his shed, telling the others another of his stories with Rarity sitting on his buffer beam.

"Frieda then cut across my line, and ran straight into Etienne," he said. "And then…" James cleared his throat indignantly. "Oh bonsoir James. How are you this evening?"

"Axel was just telling us another one of his stories," said Thomas. "You should join us James."

"Oh yes," said Twilight. "They're very interesting."

"Well, I would but it appears Axel is in my berth." James said indignantly.

"Oh Excusez-moi, James," said Axel. "I didn't know."

"Yes well, if you wouldn't mind moving…" said James.

"Come now James," said Emily. "Axel's our guest."

"True enough," said Rarity. "So it would be nice if you could show some courtesy."

"Agreed," said Rainbow, oiling up Gordon's joints.

"You can spend the night in our berth with me and Percy if you like, James," said Pinkie. "It's really roomy back here."

"Um… Uh no. No thank you Pinkie." said James steaming onto the turntable. "Uh, I think I'll sleep at Knapford tonight."

"Are you sure James?" asked Axel. "I can spend the night elsewhere if you would prefer."

"Quite sure, Axel," said James with a certain edge to his voice.

"We'll go with you James," said Henry.

"No thank you Henry," he replied. "I think I'd rather be alone tonight. Good night everyone." And with that, James steamed away.

"Good night James," said the others.

"Now where was I?" asked Axel.

"Uh, Etienne?" suggested Fluttershy.

"Oh yeah," he said. "Anyway, Etienne was most indignant about the whole affair. As were the Flying Scotsman and Spitfire, who were also there." Back at the Dieselworks, Sombra walked up to Den and Dart.

"How did it go with BoCo last night?" he asked.

"Uh, it went well boss," said Den.

"What he means is the special parts have been installed," said Dart. "And BoCo is now faster than ever."

"Perfect," said Sombra. "Tomorrow's finals are as good as ours." All the diesels honked in celebration. "Still, I'm not one to take chances. Maybe we should take precautions to push the odds further in our favor."

"Uh, like what boss?" asked Arry.

"Elementary, my dear Arry," said Sombra. "We should make sure the faster racers don't win. And I can think of a few things right now." He chuckled criminally. Next morning, at Knapford Yard, James was sound asleep in the freight shed when Percy whistled waking him up to see him shunting Gordon's coaches and Rarity in front of him.

"Up and at 'em, Lazybones," said Pinkie.

James yawned loudly. "Pinkie, what's going on?"

"Good morning, Sleepy Smokestack," said Percy.

"Isn't the final race of the tournament today?" asked James.

"Indeed it is," said Rarity as she boarded him. "But we still have plenty of work to do before then."

"Oh of course," said James as he steamed away and whistled as he pulled up at the platform. "Good morning Gordon. Ready for the race this afternoon?"

"You bet we are," said Rainbow. "I spent all night making sure he was raring to go. How about you?"

"I should be," said James as Gordon's coaches were coupled up behind him.

"Splendid," said Gordon. "We'll see you this afternoon then." The conductor blew his whistle and waved his green flag as Gordon steamed away. Soon the train was out on the open line roaring along.

"Express coming through!" called Rainbow but then she coughed a bit. "Ugh! I swallowed a bug!" Then she saw a line of trucks on the line ahead. She quickly applied the brakes, but it was too late. Gordon bashed into them and derailed. Luckily, none of the passengers were hurt, but Gordon had taken too much damage from the crash, and Rainbow had broken her arm in the fall, so she couldn't use the controls. Which meant they couldn't compete in the final race.

"O the indignity." groaned Gordon.

"Where did these trucks even come from?" asked Rainbow. What they didn't know was that Diesel had shunted those trucks there to make sure they wouldn't compete. Back at Knapford, the finals were just about to get underway with all the engines lining up at the platform, ready to race on to Vicarstown.

"Good luck today, James," said Axel. "You'll need it."

James just growled. But there was one problem at the platform.

"Where's Gordon?" Twilight asked Stan and Nigel.

"I'm afraid he and Railey had an accident out on the main line earlier this morning," said Stan. "As the fastest team on Sodor, they were guaranteed a spot in the finals, but are now no longer able to compete."

"Very tragic news, Stan," said Nigel. "I'm sure all here wish them a speedy recovery, but as the old saying goes, the show must go on. And so, we have allowed the two to nominate a replacement team. Henry and Flora Shy." James was surprised as Henry rolled up on Platform 3.

"Hello James," he said. "Looks like we're racing again."

"Henry?!" said James.

"And with them here, we're almost ready to go," said Nigel. "Let's give it up for our finalists; Axel, James and Rachel Arkwright, Henry and Flora Shy, BoCo, and Thomas and Taylor Sparkle."

"Oh finally, this is almost over," Mallard muttered tiredly before he cleared his throat. "All right, on your marks… Get set…" Then with a long loud blast on his whistle, the engines steamed out with BoCo taking an early lead. Then they came up to a large junction. Getting ahead was crucial or they would risk getting stuck in the back for the rest of the race. Naturally, Axel took the lead, with BoCo close behind, much to his surprise. When they made it to the points, Axel cut ahead of James and Thomas rammed into BoCo, knocking him off the tracks.

"Sorry Thomas!" BoCo called.

"Ooh! And just like that, Thomas and Taylor are out of the race." said Nigel.

"Oh perfect," said James. "How are we going to get ahead now?"

"Not to worry, James," said Rarity. "There are plenty of junctions along the main line. There must be some way." Up ahead, on a hill at a complex switchboard, Diesel and Sombra were waiting with Arry, Bert and a line of trucks.

"Even with those special parts and Gordon out of the race, BoCo's still no match for Axel," said Sombra. "Time to go to Plan B. Be ready to let the trucks go."

"Righto, boss," said Arry. Then Sombra looked through his binoculars and saw Axel coming on strong.

"NOW!" he called, and the porter uncoupled the cars from Arry and let them roll down the hill as fast as they could. But Axel was slightly faster as he roared across the junction and the cars slammed straight into Henry, bursting a few valves. Fluttershy had seen the cars coming and huddled down, but when Henry stopped suddenly, she banged the back of her head against his controls and was knocked to the floor in extreme pain.

"Finally," said James. "A clear line. We can still win this." Then he switched onto Henry's line.

The green engine coughed at the dust from the truck's loads, but cheered. "Go get em, James!" But as James looked back at his hurt friend, he felt upset and knew this race had made him selfish. Rarity knew that too so she stopped James and reversed him back, much to the crowd's amazement and confusion.

"James? Rarity?" asked Fluttershy, clutching her slightly bleeding head. "But that was your chance to win the race."

"Winning isn't everything, Fluttershy," said James. "You and Henry taught us that." Henry smiled at his friend. "Now let's finish this race. Together." Then he buffered up behind the large engine and pushed. While he was doing that, Rarity climbed around to Fluttershy in Henry's cab, tore part of her jacket and used it to bandage Fluttershy's head. Axel and BoCo were buffer to buffer as they roared toward the finish line, but then out of nowhere, BoCo's engine started coughing and bolts started to pop before he ground to a halt, letting Axel roar across the line whooping and laughing at his victory. But he was surprised to see none of his fans were doing the same. Then he looked at the screen.

"Sacré bleu." he said.

"Almost there, old friend," said Rarity. "Just a bit further."

"James? Rarity?" said Henry.

"Yes?" asked James.

"We're proud of you." said Henry and Fluttershy. Rarity smiled and teared up as she hugged her old friend in Henry's cab. When they crossed the line, everyone cheered and cheered. Medics were there as well, to help Fluttershy.

"Marvelous," said Mallard, watching on a siding with Spencer. "Simply marvelous. You were right, brother. This Sudrian engines definitely have what it takes." The diesels rolled up and were shocked.

"What?! BoCo didn't win?!" asked Diesel.

"Curses! Foiled again." said Sombra. The board showed the rankings for the winners, but frankly, for Rarity and her friends, the numbers didn't matter. They all knew James and Rarity won.

"Well… Bonsoir James," said Axel. "I have to admit, that was some mighty fine racing back there. To which I say… bon."

"Merci, Axel," said James proudly, and with a surprisingly good French accent. "Merci beaucoup." A few days later, James, Rarity and Axel were at the water tower. They were telling Axel about what happened last Christmas.

"All of a sudden, the bridge started collapsing," said Rarity. "I opened the regulator as far as it would go, and we made it across just in time."

"After that, we delivered all the presents that were left, and saved Christmas for the Island." said James proudly.

"Wow. Bonsoir, James," said Axel in amazement. "That sounded incredible."

"Oh stop," said Rarity blushing a bit. "Just one of our many amazingly heroic adventures."

"Say monsieur," said Axel, remembering something. "I've been thinking. We should have another race, just us three this time."

"HA! You're on, Axel!" said James.

"Very well then," said Axel. "À vos marques…"

"Get set…" said James.

"Allonzie!" called Rarity and raced away.

"Hah! That streamlining doesn't seem so important now, does it?" asked James.

"Don't get too cocky, James," said Axel. "This isn't even my full speed. Watch." Then they reached Gordon's Hill, and they started struggling until they both made it to the top at the same time.

"Let's call it a draw, shall we boys?" asked Rarity.

"Oui. Let's," said Axel as the three watched the sunset. "Ah. Sacré bleu."

"The sunset sure is bright this evening, isn't it?" asked James.

"Indeed," said Rarity, putting on some designer sunglasses. "Say Axel, I don't think I've gotten to this yet, but I must say your paintwork looks lovely in this lighting."

"Oh merci mademoiselle," said Axel. "As does yours, James. It's really gleaming after that wash-down."

"Why thank you," said James. "I've always loved my red coat. You know, I was actually painted black for my first few weeks here?"

"Really?" asked Axel.

"I never knew that," said Rarity. "Must've been before I met you."

"Well, I've never really liked black all that much as a livery," said James. "But I must say it works great with red and yellow."

"Oh merci James," said Axel. "You know these are actually the colors of the Belgian flag." Later that night, Sir Topham Hatt, Miss Celestia, and her sister, the dark and mysterious Miss Luna were at the Dieselworks, looking through all the illegal parts BoCo had in his engine.

"Well BoCo," said the controller. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

"Not only are all these parts illegal," said Luna. "But using them in a competition is cheating."

"I'm ever-so sorry, Sir," said BoCo. "I had no idea they were even installed. Den and Dart gave me a quick tune-up before the race." Miss Luna looked over begrudgingly at the two works diesels who quickly rolled away.

"Is that so?" he asked.

"But I don't think they would do something as devious as install illegal parts in my motor," said BoCo.

"Hmm," said Sir Topham Hatt.

"I don't know Sir," said Celestia. Then Diesel oiled up.

"Ah Sir," he said. "If I might interject…"

"What is it, Diesel?" asked Luna.

"I believe it was Diesel 10 and Discord," said Diesel. "Those two have been causing all sorts of mayhem lately. We even had to banish them from the Dieselworks."

"I thought I smelled hydraulic fluid," said Ms. Celestia.

"Didn't we warn you that hiring Cory was a mistake?" asked Ms. Luna. "After all, they were found at the scene of the crime when the illegal parts were stolen from Edward."

"I shall have to investigate further." said Sir Topham Hatt.

"Please sir," said Diesel. "Let me know if I can be of any service."

"I will," said Sir Topham Hatt and he drove away with Winston. Celestia and Luna were about to board Stafford when they saw a dark figure jump down from Diesel's cab and run into the workman's shed. they were a bit confused, but decided it was best not to touch the subject as Stafford rolled away.


	8. Thomas and the Troublesome Trucks

**Ch. 8: Thomas and the Troublesome Trucks**

It had been a few days since the Racing tournament and all the engines had gotten back to work. And Thomas and Twilight were already having problems with the Troublesome Trucks as they were pushed down Gordon's Hill.

"Wow! Is this Déjà vu or what?" asked Twilight.

"Tell me about it," said Thomas. He still hadn't forgotten about when Edward let him take his trucks to the other end of the line when he was still new to the railway. But today was different; The trucks pushed Thomas off the rails. Twilight quickly jumped clear as Thomas was pushed through mud and bushes before he went off a large cliff, and landed face-first in a duck pond. Twilight quickly ran to the edge of the cliff and looked off to see him.

"Thomas! Are you okay?" she called.

"I'm fine, Twilight!" called Thomas. "Just go get help!" Twilight quickly ran back to the main line to flag down an engine to help and saw Harold flying overhead. She directed him to the wreck and soon enough, Nelson the transport lorry arrived and hauled him off to the Steamworks. Edward pulled in a bit after he arrived and was surprised.

"Goodness gracious. Thomas, what on Earth happened to you?" he asked.

"Oh, it was those silly trucks," said Thomas. "They pushed me off the tracks and…"

"Lucky Harold was in the area, or you'd be out there for hours," said Kevin, the Steamworks crane.

"Hmm," pondered Edward. "The trucks have been behaving badly lately. Remember to use your sandboxes for extra grip. That'll slow them down."

"Hah!" said Spencer, who was nearby getting a wash-down. "Poor little Thomas. Thrown off the line, were you? That would never happen to me."

"Funny. I recall Rainbow telling me it nearly happened to you on your trip to London a few months ago," said Twilight.

"Details, details," said Lightning Dust. "Now Thomas, if it were us, we'd show 'em who's boss. Right, Spencer?"

"Indeed Laurel," said the big engine.

"They're right," said Oliver, the Great Western engine. "If you recall, I had a problem with a truck named Scruffy, but I showed him what for. Now, none of the trucks give me any trouble."

"Spencer! Oliver!" said Edward. "What you need to do is remain calm and think before you act."

"Now there's some sound logic." said Twilight.

"No you two," said Thomas. "Spencer's right. If we don't put those trucks in their place, they'll never stop their tricks."

"Exactly," said Lightning. The next day, Thomas was back on the rails and heading out to the quarry on Toby's branch line.

"Push me off the rails, will you?" said Thomas as he moved into the shunting siding. "I'll show you." And he bumped the trucks hard sending them into the buffers. Then with three peeps on his whistle, he steamed away.

"I still think this is a mistake," said Twilight as they steamed onto the main line.

"We'll be fine," said Thomas as the trucks clattered and clanked behind them. Then at a red signal, Thomas stopped suddenly and gave the trucks a good hard bump.

"Careful! You almost knocked my bag into your fire," said Twilight. He didn't listen and bumped them again at a water tower before pulling into Edward's station. He was uncoupled from the cars and ran off onto a siding.

"They're all yours, Edward," said Thomas. "I expect they won't be any problem."

"Oh?" said Edward as he was coupled up. And with that, Thomas steamed away and Edward hauled the trucks off to Vicarstown.

"Who does Thomas think he is bumping us around like that?" asked one of the trucks.

"We should pay him out," said another.

"Well, we can't now," said another. "So we should play tricks on Edward instead."

"One engine is as good as another." said the first truck.

"Pipe down back there, will you?" asked Edward. A red signal was up ahead, so Edward eased on his brakes. The trucks saw this as a chance for some mischief.

"On, on, on!" they yelled and pushed Edward past the signal. And he couldn't get a grip because his sandboxes were empty. The signalman quickly switched Edward to the runaway siding and he crashed through a set of buffers. Later, the breakdown train arrived and hauled him up onto a flatbed. Then Thomas steamed up and coupled up to the trucks.

"Oh! Edward! I'm so sorry," he said. "This is all my fault."

"It's all right Thomas," said Edward. "I know you didn't mean any harm. But you shouldn't have let your temper get the better of you. And…"

"But look at what they've done to you," said Thomas. "I should've been tougher on them."

"What?" asked Twilight and Edward. The old engine tried to stop him, but Thomas was too stubborn. Thomas roared through the rain with the trucks rumbling behind him.

"Thomas, the storm's only going to get worse," said Twilight. "We might want to stop for the evening."

"No! I have to get these trucks delivered. And teach them a lesson for pushing Edward." said Thomas crossly. But once they reached Gordon's hill, the trucks started holding back, but Thomas was much too strong and he pulled their brakes off. Once they reached the top of the hill, the trucks pushed again.

"On, on! Faster, faster!" laughed the trucks. Then Thomas bumped into Spencer.

"The trucks are pushing me!" Thomas shouted up to him.

"Righto then!" said Spencer and both the engines slammed on the brakes, but the rain had made the rails slippery. Quickly, Twilight and Lightning opened their sandboxes and the sand started to slow the engines down. They went round a sharp corner and nearly derailed, but they were okay as they slid into Vicarstown station. The next morning, they regaled Edward with what happened.

"Well I wouldn't exactly call screaming helpful," said Twilight at one comment. Spencer sniffed indignantly and steamed away.

"You did very well, Thomas," said Edward. "I'm glad to see you listen to at least some of what I tell you."

"Oh. Thank you," said Thomas.

"Then again, this whole mess was kind of your fault," said Twilight. "Not criticizing, just saying." Everyone laughed and smiled. But that night, the Flying Scotsman roared across the island with a stern look on his face and Spitfire in his cab with her commander's cap on.

"I'm going to get to the bottom of this," said the Scotsman as he roared through the country.


	9. Henry and Fluttershy's Fire Rescue

**Ch. 9: Henry and Fluttershy's Fire Rescue**

It was a warm August day on the Island of Sodor, and the sun had nearly baked the grass yellow. Toby and Applejack were finding it especially hard to work in this heat since Toby's water tanks were so small and it didn't help that he was pulling a heavy train of lumber.

"Ugh, this heat," Toby groaned. "It's unbelievable." Applejack wiped her brow with her hat and was almost panting like a dog.

"Whew. Won't find me arguin'," she said. "It feels hot enough to fry an egg on your roof."

"I can't wait to get a drink at the next station," said Toby.

"I'm just lookin' forward to lunch," said Applejack. "I packed some nice cool cider, and I really need to drink it." The trucks were tired from the heat too, so they decided to take their minds off it by playing tricks. On the count of three, they bumped him and pushed him down the line.

"Aw cmon!" said Applejack exasperated. "On a day like today? Really?" She grabbed the brakes, but they were in need of repair so they didn't make much difference as they roared into Henry's Forest.

"Slow down! Slow down!" called Toby.

"I'm workin' on it!" said Applejack, pulling on the brake lever. Further up the line, Henry and Fluttershy were parked next to the Sodor Wishing Tree, the oldest tree on Sodor. Henry always loved the trees, so his driver asked Sir Topham Hatt to name the forest after him, and Fluttershy always came with him to see the animals. Today, she was even helping him water the Wishing Tree.

"There you go, old friend," said Henry. "That should help you make it through this heat wave."

"Let's hope so, or the adorable little birdies won't have a place to stay," said Fluttershy as a chickadee landed on her shoulder.

"Help! Help!" called Toby from down the line. Henry quickly whistled to the nearby signalbox.

"There's a runaway coming! Switch him off!" he called. The signalman quickly did so and let Toby run through the buffers and crash into some rocks, spilling his lumber everywhere. Luckily, Applejack and the conductor had jumped clear, so they weren't hurt, but Henry and Fluttershy were terribly worried.

"Are you two alright?" she asked helping Applejack up.

"Ugh, yeah. I'm fine," said the cowgirl. "How bout you, Toby?"

"Ow… Been better," he groaned. "You silly trucks. Now look what you've done."

"Are you sure?" asked Henry.

"Oh… I think so," he said. "My buffers are a bit bent, but I think the rest of me is okay."

"Looks like those trucks have seen better days though," said Applejack, before she chuckled, shrugging off the pain of her sprained shoulder. "I swear, all the trucks on this railway are suicidal."

"Hmph. Serves them right, if you ask me," said Henry. "They've been so misbehaved lately. What could've gotten into them?"

"With trucks, who knows?" asked Toby.

"Amen to that, brother," said Applejack.

"Yeah. Anyway, would you mind helping an old tram out, Henry?" asked Toby.

"Oh. O-Of course," said Henry steaming away. "I'll be right back with the breakdown train." Then Toby smiled.

"Well, on the bright side, at least I'm out of the sun now," he said. Later, Henry returned with the breakdown train and winched Toby back onto the rails.

"Huh. This must've been how Thomas felt rerailin' James on his first day," said Applejack, feeling nostalgic.

"Must be," said Henry as Toby's wheels landed on the line.

"Ah, it's good to be back on the rails again," he said. "Thank you, Henry."

"Anytime, old friend," said Henry. "Now then, let's get these trucks cleaned up."

"Right you are," said Toby, getting to work. "So do tell, what were you two doing out here anyway?"

"Just getting some relaxation time in," said Fluttershy. "It's so nice and peaceful out here. Kind of reminds me of our trip to Camp Everfree last month, remember?"

"Aw yeah, that was fun," said Applejack. Then Fluttershy heard a whistle. She looked behind her and saw Wilbert, the forest engine steaming along.

"Hello Wilbert!" she called.

"Hello Fluttershy!" he said as he rumbled through.

"And today, we also wanted to bring some water for the Wishing Tree." said Henry.

"Wishing Tree?" asked Applejack.

"That big one right beside the line," said Fluttershy, pointing to it. "They say the tree is magic and that it grants wishes. It's actually the oldest tree on Sodor."

"So we thought it could use a little extra kindness through this dry spell." said Henry.

"Ah. I gotcha," said Applejack. Then thunder rumbled above them. "Well, don't look like it'll be long till the whole forest gets a drink."

"I think you might be right about that," said Henry. "Nothing like a splash of rain to help cool things over either." Then a thunderbolt shot down and struck the ground in front of them. Then Henry smelled something.

"Do you smell… smoke?" he asked.

"Oh. Sorry, that's probably just my fire settling," said Toby. But it wasn't.

"Forest Fire!" shouted Applejack. "Quick! Call in Flynn and Belle!"

"Right away!" said the signalman. Quickly, he ran back into the box and grabbed the phone. Then Fluttershy saw some deer trapped by some burning sticks in a small patch of dirt.

"Applejack! Help me!" she called.

"I'm on it!" she said and whistled. Then her dog Winona jumped down from Toby's cab with a whip in her mouth. Applejack quickly took the whip and slashed the sticks with it. "Go on now! Get outta here! Hyah! Hyah!" she shouted and cracked her whip, driving the deer away.

At the Search and Rescue Center, the fire engines Flynn and Belle, and the rescue boat, Captain, were talking to Harold the Helicopter about the large bucket on his helipad. There were also three little girls there. One had light lavender hair and jade green eyes. She was Rarity's sister Andrea, but everyone called her Sweetie Belle. Another had bright red hair and amber eyes. She was Applejack's sister Stacey, but people called her Apple Bloom. The last one had purple eyes and hair, her name was Jessie Scooter, but she preferred to be called Scootaloo. The three were working at the Rescue Center to see if they could find a place to work when they were older.

"It's called a helicopter bucket," explained Harold. "Essentially, it allows me to pick up water from a nearby lake or river, and then dump it on a fire to douse the flames."

"That's brilliant Harold," said Flynn.

"I can't wait to see it in action," said Belle.

Harold chuckled proudly. "It is very special, isn't it?" Then the thunder rumbled again. "Unfortunately, I don't think I'll get the chance to use it very much."

"Sounds like a storm's coming in," said Scootaloo.

"I'd say it's about time," said Apple Bloom. "The orchard has been dry as a bone lately." Then the alarm sounded and the commander ran out of the control room panting.

"Henry's forest is on fire!" he shouted down. "Flynn, Belle, Harold! They need you over there right away!"

"Right!" said Flynn.

"We're on it!" said Belle.

"Ooh! Ooh! Can we come? Please?" asked Sweetie Belle.

"I don't think that's a good idea," said Belle.

"We don't have time to argue," said Harold, spinning his rotors. "Besides, if they plan to work here in the future, they might as well get some on-the-job training."

"Fine. But you stay with us the whole time, understood?" asked Flynn.

"Yes sir!" said the girls as they gave him a salute.

"I'll fly with Harold," said Scootaloo. "Apple Bloom, you go with Flynn. Sweetie, you go with Belle."

"On it!" they said and ran to their engines. Then Sweetie realized something.

"Oh, hey nice pun there!" she said.

"Play on words, not pun," said Scootaloo. "There's a difference. Now let's go make one. See that? Now _that's_ a pun." Then she slammed Harold's cabin door shut and he took off with the bucket attached to his winch. Belle rang and whistled as Flynn honked and turned on his siren and they roared away. Back in the forest, the fire was getting bigger and the engines and girls were coughing from the smoke.

"I don't get it," said Henry. "How is the fire spreading this easily?"

"It's the heat," said Applejack. "Sun has everything practically baked. Dry wood always burns better." Then she realized something imperative; Toby was made of wood! "We gotta get outta here!"

"She's right! The fire's spreading too quick!" said the signalman, doing his best to control it with an extinguisher. "We can't wait for the brigade! We have to leave! Now!"

"Time to go, Henry!" said Toby as he steamed out, but Henry wouldn't budge. He was frozen in fear and sorrow from the forest burning, but he quickly got rolling regardless. But he stopped in fear at the forest burning further down. The fire was so intense, the windows in the signalbox burst, and the glass practically melted instantly.

"Henry, what the wing-ding're ya doin'? We gotta go! Now!" shouted Applejack. Burning trees and branches fell everywhere, and Henry was still frozen when he saw the Wishing Tree tipping over. Fluttershy quickly ran out and grabbed the blue jays' nest off the lowest branch and ran back to Henry to guard the hatchlings just as the tree fell. Toby knew yelling wouldn't get through to him, so he blew his old whistle, but nothing happened.

"Oh, blast me for a fool!" said Toby as he roared in and pushed him away from the tree just before it hit the tracks. Then a burning branch landed on Toby's roof. He started freaking out about it until a large splash fell on it, putting it out. The four looked up and saw Harold above them with the bottom of his bucket open.

"Sorry about that old boy," said Harold. "Possible new recruit in the cabin! Not to mention new equipment!" As if to imply that, Scootaloo appeared in the open airlock door and waved down.

"Hey guys!" she called before Harold flew on and she got back in before the bucket splashed onto the Wishing Tree. Then Flynn roared in.

"Fiery Flynn to the rescue!" he called.

"Oh thank goodness!" said the derailed trucks. Then they all pulled up and Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle jumped out.

"Apple Bloom? What the hay are you doin' here?" asked Applejack.

"Don't you worry bout a thing sis," said AB. "We'll have this out in no time!" Then the water cannons fired and hit the branches on the line, clearing the way for the others. Harold was following the fire in the air to make sure nothing else burned up. Once the fire was out, everyone looked around in dismay. The forest was burned to charcoal and ash and all the animals had left.

"How's it looking up there Harold?" called Flynn.

"Well, the fire is still burning east with the wind, but it should burn out once it reaches the River Who," he replied. "Mission accomplished, everyone!"

"Yeah-ha-ha! How's that for on-the-job training?" asked Apple Bloom triumphantly.

"From an adventurous standpoint, I'd say ten out of ten, but from a cleanliness standpoint?" asked a soot-covered Sweetie. "Low marks."

"Nice work up there, Scootaloo," said Flynn over his radio. "But you and Harold should probably keep an eye on the fire, just to be safe."

"10-4, Flynn. Will do," said Scootaloo. "Let's go, Harold."

"Righto then, Jessie!" said the copter. "Tally-ho!" Then he flew off east to watch the fire. Once he was gone, a flock of crows flew past. Toby rolled up to Henry to see him very forlorn with Fluttershy on his buffer beam in the fetal position.

"Henry? Fluttershy? Are you okay?" asked Toby. Fluttershy didn't answer. She just got up and broke a burned-up branch off what used to be the Wishing Tree. She looked at it sadly and started tearing up. Applejack walked over and hugged her friend in understanding.

Off east, the fire was burning vigorously, but it was just about dead at the river.

"There. That oughtta put a stop to you," said Harold. "Not like fires can burn across water." He gave a small chuckle, but then a strong wind from east blew him around, and Scootaloo was almost knocked out of her chair in the cockpit. Quickly, she strapped herself in and looked out to see cinders, embers and burning leaves flying across the river.

"Oh… that's not good," she said as she saw the leaves lighting the other side of the river on fire. Quickly, Harold emptied the bucket, but the fire was too large to put out.

"Oh, rocketing rotors!" said Harold. "We can't have this at all." Quickly, he refilled the bucket and dumped it again, but with very little effect. "Oh, if only I had more time to practice with this thing!"

"It doesn't matter now!" said Scootaloo checking the fire's path on Harold's GPS. "If the fire keeps burning like this, Ballahoo's ash! We have to warn the others!" Harold quickly winched the bucket up and flew back to the forest as fast as he could. Quickly, after being informed of the situation on Harold's radio, the engines were racing full speed to Ballahoo.

"So much for mission accomplished, huh?" asked Apple Bloom.

"Not now, kid," said Flynn. "We have to stop the fire before it gets to Ballahoo."

"Do you think we'll make it?" asked Toby.

"If not, the town is doomed." said Sweetie.

"Besides, we stopped this fire once," said Belle. "We can stop it again." Soon they pulled into the town's outskirts and saw the fire was almost there.

"If you guys need us for anything…" said Applejack.

"Thanks, but that won't be necessary." said Flynn.

"We'll have this out in no time," said Belle. "Ready guys?"

"Ready!" said Flynn and the girls. The water flew for miles, hitting the fire with every drop. There were a few they couldn't reach so Harold dropped the water from his bucket.

"Bullseye!" Scootaloo said with every hit. Then the wind started to knock Harold off course and spread more embers.

"Oh no!" cried Sweetie. Then s burning tree fell on a pile of fuel barrels near a shed and they exploded, knocking the shed down.

"Retreat! Retreat!" called Belle. They ran as fast as they could and just barely made it out of the fire zone.

"Now what?" asked Toby.

"Now we use strategy," said Belle. "Flynn and I will head to the sidings and try our best to keep the fire at bay."

"You guys, grab some coaches and prepare to evacuate the town, just in case," said Flynn. "Good luck."

"You too." said Applejack as the fire engines steamed away.

"They're running out of water, I know it," said Toby. "They won't be able to stop that fire alone. Henry, you and Fluttershy go get help."

"What?!" asked Henry. "Us? But we…"

"Butts are for sittin' Henry, and you ain't got one," said Applejack. "Toby and I are too slow to do it. We'll stay here and evacuate the town. Now go! Go!" Then Toby steamed away to the coach yard. Henry was worried, but he knew the fate of the town lay on his buffers so he steamed away. Meanwhile, Harold and Scootaloo had flown over the town.

"We need to send out the evacuation order," said Harold. "It's the yellow button on the right side of the panel." Scootaloo quickly pressed it and a loudspeaker started booming from the church down below.

"Attention citizens of Ballahoo, this is the Sodor Search and Rescue Brigade," she said into the microphone. "A wildfire is heading toward the town. Please remain calm and proceed to the train station as soon as possible to evacuate the town. This is not a drill, I repeat, this is not a drill. Please proceed to the station now." Then she turned off the microphone.

"Expertly done, Scootaloo," said Harold. "You just might have a future at the Center."

"Thanks, Harold," she said. Down below, dozens of people gathered at the station where Toby and Applejack were waiting.

"Hurry it up, people, all aboard! We gotta get outta here now!" shouted Applejack herding people onto the train.

"I hope Henry finds help soon," said Toby.

"You and me both," said Applejack. "You know how Fluttershy can be in these situations." To answer this question, she was extremely prone to panic attacks, but Henry was bent on finding help as he raced through his tunnel… and nearly ran straight into Thomas and Percy's goods train.

Fluttershy quickly applied the brakes and the engines simply tapped each other's buffers.

"What the heck are you guys doing on our track?" asked Twilight.

"There's a fire headed toward Ballahoo," said Fluttershy. "And Flynn and Belle are almost out of water. And- And- Oh, we have no clue what we're doing!" Then Percy remembered something.

"I have an idea. Remember when we brought Old Slow Coach back into service, Thomas?" he asked.

"Oh yes. That was because a workmen's hut burned down," said Thomas. "And the firemen used the water in our tanks to put it out. And they did the same when that old farm shed was on fire when Belle first arrived."

"There are plenty of bigger engines with whole tenders full of water back at Vicarstown," said Pinkie. "We were just there."

"All right then," said Twilight. "Percy, Pinkie, you, Thomas and I will head to Ballahoo to help Belle and Flynn. Henry, you and Fluttershy head back to Vicarstown and get the others. Then we'll have more than enough water."

"Uh… okay." said a nervous Henry. Quickly, he reversed, Fluttershy switched him onto the other track and let the others roar past as the two steamed towards Vicarstown. There, Gordon and Rainbow were telling the Flying Scotsman and Spitfire about what happened after they met up at Carnforth a few months before. Spencer and Lightning Dust were there too, and they were embarrassed.

"And then, you obviously know what happened next," said Gordon. The four laughed.

"Lemme guess," said Spitfire. "He ran out of water?"

"You got it," laughed Rainbow. "We had to push them _and_ pull the train all the way to Preston!" Then they broke out into peals of laughter.

"Hey not our fault," said Lightning. "The tender must've had a leak in it."

"Are you sure it wasn't just because you were trying to show off for my brother here?" asked Gordon and he laughed even more. Then Henry whistled and screeched in.

"Fluttershy? What are you doing here?" asked Rainbow. "I thought you guys were hanging out in the forest."

"We were, but it burned up," said Fluttershy. "And now, the fire's threatening Ballahoo. The Rescue crew is almost out of water, and they need back-up. We need you to come with us. They should be able to use the water in your tenders."

"No problem, kid," said Spitfire. "We just finished refilling and Scotsman's even got an extra tender. All right ladies! Let's move out!"

"Yes ma'am!" everyone said and they all steamed away, Henry leading the charge, then Flying Scotsman, then Gordon, then Spencer. Then they all stopped as Henry saw the fire growing in front of them.

"Don't worry about it kid," said Spitfire. "Just charge it. We'll be fine."

"What? That's insane," said Henry.

"She's in the RAF," said Scotsman. "She does the insane for a living."

"You guys will have to go on without us," said Fluttershy.

"Look at where we are, Fluttershy," said Rainbow. "Only one line and you're in the lead."

"Then… we'll have to go back," said Fluttershy.

"There's no time," said Spencer.

"Don't worry about it, Fluttershy," said Gordon. "We're right behind you."

"All the way," said Spencer. The two were still scared, but they found their courage.

"For the Wishing Tree." they both said and roared through the burning branches with the others behind giving extra speed. Transferring water from Thomas and Percy worked for a while, but soon they were both dry. Then the others roared in.

"Cheers loves!" said Spitfire in a Cockney accent. "The cavalry's here."

"Did you seriously pull that reference?" asked Rainbow.

"Hey, in my spare time, I play Overwatch," she defended. "So sue me. Anyway, we got plenty of water, so hook us up and let's do this!" The firefighters quickly loaded the tubes into the engines' tanks, and the fire was out in no time.

"Ha-ha! I knew we'd do it!" said Flynn.

"Of course," said Belle. "I never lost faith."

"Well, that wasn't the cleanest job I've ever done," said Spencer, looking at his sooty silver paint. "But certainly, the most rewarding."

"Agreed," said Sweetie. "Rarity is never gonna forgive me for getting my clothes so dirty, but I bet she'll forgive me if I explain what happened here."

"Indeed," said Scotsman. "I can't wait to get a wash-down." Then the rain started coming down.

"Oh sure, now the rain comes," said Rainbow. "Unbelievable."

"Yes, but I suppose it's the closest thing to a wash-down we're going to get," said Scotsman and laughed. Then Toby rumbled up to Henry.

"Well done, everyone," said the old tram. "We saved Ballahoo. The people are extremely thankful."

"Aw, it weren't nothin," said Apple Bloom. "All in a good day's work, right Flynn?"

"You bet," said the truck. "You three might just have a future at the Rescue Center yet." Everyone whistled and honked in celebration.

"You alright, Fluttershy?" asked Applejack.

"We're fine, Applejack," said Fluttershy. "I mean, I'm glad we stopped the fire, but…"

"I just wish we could've saved more of the trees." finished Henry.

"Don't worry about it, big guy," said Applejack. "Trees always grow back stronger after a forest fire. Just you wait. Give it a few weeks, and the forest will be good as new. We'll help rebuild, just like after that storm." And she was right. Soon enough, Trevor and Terrance were helping rebuild the forest to its former glory, when Henry came in with a long train.

"Morning Toby," he said. "I've brought some fresh saplings,"

"Ah. Excellent," said Toby. "We need more further down the line."

"Thanks again for helping us, Applejack," said Fluttershy. "The forest will be back to normal in no time."

"Ah, no problem," said the country girl. "Matter of fact, Apple Bloom and Terrance just got done planting the new Wishing Tree." She pointed and there was a large new tree, just like the old one. The six foresting friends smiled at their good work. Back in the yard, Gordon, Spencer, and Scotsman were hanging out with their partners.

"A fine show in that firefight, brother," said Scotsman.

"Same goes to you Spencer." said Spitfire.

"Oh, think nothing of it," said Lightning.

"However, I do have a… pressing concern," said Scotsman.

"Of what sort?" asked Rainbow.

"I fear that the increased mishaps with these… troublesome trucks, as you call them, could be linked to something very sinister," said Scotsman.

"From what little we've seen of the railway; the accident rate seems to have multiplied tenfold," said Spitfire. Gordon cleared his throat.

"It's not too out of the ordinary, to be honest." he said.

"What would you suggest?" asked Lightning.

"Engines and drivers far and wide have worked together to get to the bottom of things like this in the past," said Scotsman. "Um, a League, if you will."

"Like the Justice League of the Railway?" asked Rainbow.

"Something like that," said Spitfire. "With that being said, I'd say that-" Before she could say anything else, a guard's whistle blew and the yard foreman walked out.

"Flying Scotsman, your special train is ready," he said. "The passengers are very excited to see you."

"Well, I guess our proposal is gonna have to wait," said Spitfire, boarding the engine. "Duty calls. Talk to you later. Ciao." And with that, Scotsman rolled away.

"What? Hey, come back!" called Rainbow. But too late. They were already gone.

"Oh brother…" said Gordon exasperated.


	10. Night of the Diesels

**Ch. 10: Night of the Diesels**

Things were going crazy all over Sodor in the past few days. Percy and Ryan were both being pushed by the troublesome trucks and were thrown off the line. At Knapford, Sir Topham Hatt was extremely confused as he told Diesel about his latest interview with Diesel 10 and Discord.

"They continue to deny any involvement with the whole 'illegal parts' charade," he said. "But I'll be keeping a close eye on them regardless."

"Very good, Sir," said Diesel. Then Ms. Celestia came out of the office.

"Urgent news, Sir," she said. "Both Percy and Ryan have come off the line."

"What? Both of them? How?" asked Sir Topham Hatt.

"It's not really that clear," said Ms. Luna. "Harvey has been dispatched to the harbor to help Percy and Duck is taking Rocky up to Harwick to help Ryan."

"Hmm. Alright then. Thank you," he said. "Excellent. Now I have to organize two replacement engines."

"If I might be of service, Sir," said Diesel. "The diesels could divide up their work amongst themselves while repairs are underway."

"Well, I suppose so," said Sir Topham Hatt. "As long as it doesn't interfere with their regular duties."

"Not at all, sir," said Diesel. "I'll organize it immediately." And with that, Diesel oiled out of the station. Luna could've sworn that as he was driving away, she saw someone familiar in the cab.

Back at the Dieselworks, Daisy the diesel railcar from Harwick trundled in. "Ah excellent," said Diesel. "I knew I could count on you, Sydney."

"Yeah uh, what is it you want me to do again?" asked Sydney.

"The mail train! Now get going!" said Sombra. Sydney rumbled away, intent on doing… whatever he was supposed to be doing.

"Ah Daisy," said Diesel. "So pleased you could make it."

"Hello Diesel," said the railcar. "And what do you need?"

"Well, I'm unsure if you've heard," said Sombra. "But your, uh… branchline buddy, Ryan and his partner have met with an unfortunate accident this morning and-"

"Oh no! Will he be okay?" asked Daisy, showing some genuine concern.

"Well, they'll make it, but Ryan's repairs may take a while," said Diesel. "While he's in the works, another engine will have to do his goods work on the Harwick line. We told Sir Topham Hatt you could handle both it and your usual passenger work." Daisy chuckled.

"Me? Pulling goods trains?" she laughed. "I don't think so."

"Come now, my dear," said Sombra, picking up a crowbar. "I know there isn't that much goods work on your line," He tapped Daisy's wheel-rig with the crowbar, as if looking for a seam. "Besides, you wouldn't want to let down all of diesel-kind, or force me to harm you, now would you?" He smiled as if to signify that he had found a seam and Daisy was already intimidated.

"Oh, uh, no," she said quickly. "No of course not, sir." With that, she quickly rumbled away.

"Excellent," said Diesel. Then Phillip honked and rumbled up.

"Hey, Diesel! Diesel!" he said. Diesel and Sombra groaned as they looked at him.

"What?" they asked.

"Do you have any work for me to do?" asked Phillip.

"As a matter of fact, yes," said Sombra. "You see those trucks over there?"

"Oh yes! You mean the ones full of rubbish?" asked Phillip.

"That's them," said Diesel. "Just take them to the dump for me, will you?"

"Oh great!" said Phillip excitedly as he coupled up to the trucks and roared away.

"About time he left," said Sombra. "Maybe now, we can get on with the plan." Meanwhile at the dump, Diesel 10 and Discord were struggling with a long line of trucks as Whiff and Scruff laughed at them. Then the coupling broke and they were sent into two trucks ahead on the line, spilling the garbage in them onto the large diesel.

"I am loving the new guys!" laughed Scruff. Then Phillip rumbled in with the trucks from the Dieselworks. He shunted them into the sidings and then he saw Diesel 10 and Discord.

"Oh! Hello there, big diesel!" said the box-cab. "I've never seen you before. What's your name? Mine's Phillip. I'm really fast. I once beat Gordon in a race."

"Funny," said Discord. "I always heard Gordon never even wanted to race you. Probably for good reason too."

"Oh, I wish everyone would stop saying that!" said Phillip.

"Why not? It's the truth," said Diesel 10. But even that wouldn't stop Phillip yammering on and they both got angry.

"Oh, piss off!" said Discord as Diesel 10 let out his claw. Phillip saw it and mistook it for a crane.

"Oh! Hello. You're a funny looking crane," he said. "I've never seen one like you before. How long have you been working at the dump? Do you like it? It's a bit smelly, but I bet it's lots of fun." Phillip kept talking and talking until late in the night. Discord was whacking his head against the inside of Diesel 10's cabin as the engine beat himself with his claw.

"Make it stop! What sin have we committed to be chastised in such a torturous manner?" yelled Discord. At last, Harvey the crane engine pulled in. "Oh, thank heaven."

"Evening Discord. Diesel 10," said Harvey. "Sorry I took so long. Both Ryan and Percy crashed this morning. I've been rather busy."

"Yes, right, whatever," said Diesel 10. "Please, just get me back onto the rails so we can get away from this-" The two looked and saw that Phillip was nowhere to be seen. Then he pulled up alongside Harvey.

"Oh hello there," he said. "My name's Phillip. What's yours?" And then he kept on droning and droning. Discord and Diesel 10 just screamed in anguish. Out in the shunting yard, S.C. Ruffy, Rickety, and Fred were sitting on lines all next to each other when Diesel pulled in with Arry and Bert. Sombra jumped down from the cab and walked up to the trucks.

"We heard about what happened to Ryan and Percy," he said. "Nice work."

"All right, Sombra," said Scruffy. "We've held up our end of the bargain. Now it's your turn."

"Not so fast, my wooden friend," said Diesel. "Our plan is not nearly complete yet. There is still much to do."

"But we've been doing your dirty work for months now!" said Rickety angrily.

"Patience, my friends," said Sombra. "We'll help you once you're done helping us, as we agreed. Now as far as I see it, you have two choices. We can either continue arguing, or we can get back to discussing what needs to happen tomorrow morning."

"Fine," grumbled Scruffy. Diesel and Sombra smiled deviously. Next morning, Diesel 10 and Discord woke up in the shed at the dump to see Phillip right in front of them.

"Good morning!" he said jovially. Discord just pushed the throttle and made Diesel 10 push him out of the way.

"Why are you still here?!" asked Diesel 10 angrily.

"Where else would your best friend be?" asked Phillip.

"Maybe doing your own work?" asked Discord. "Also, 'best friend'? Making a lot of assumptions right now." But Phillip wasn't listening as he rolled away.

"Come on," he said. "We've got a big day ahead of us. Lots of trucks to shunt."

"If it means we have to listen to you talk again, I think I'd rather just throw myself in front of the Wild Nor' Wester," said Discord. Then Scruff rumbled in with a long train.

"Hey, Diesel 10! Discord! Time to put that claw of yours to good use," he said. "You're on track-side scrap collection duty today."

"Oh! That sounds like fun!" said Phillip. "Can I come?"

"No," said Discord and Diesel 10 simultaneously.

"Now get out of our way before we add you to the scrap-pile," said Discord, driving the diesel out of the shed. "We're on it, Scruff."

"Thank you, guys," said Scruff as he rumbled away.

"So… Are you sure I can't come with you today?" asked Phillip as he followed Diesel 10.

"Never been surer of anything in my life," said Discord.

"Oh, come on," he said. "I can help. I'm very hard-working."

"No," said Diesel 10.

"Please?" pleaded Phillip.

"What part of 'no' do you not understand?" asked Discord.

"Oh come on," he said. "You won't even know I'm there." Obviously, he was wrong, because all the time they were working, Phillip was talking and talking.

"So… I've been meaning to ask. What is your name, strange-looking crane?" he asked. Discord groaned.

"She isn't a crane," he said. "She's a highly complex hydraulic claw. Her name is Pinchy, and she doesn't talk to annoying little engines."

"Hey, I'm not little," said Phillip. "I mean, I am little, but I'm not annoying! I'm really useful. Sir Topham Hatt even said so."

"Really? Name one time you've been on this railway you haven't made someone say 'go away' because of your talking," said Discord. Phillip thought but then it struck him.

"How about when I started my race with Gordon?" he said. "He just said go."

"No, he was saying go away. You just ran off thinking you were racing." said Discord. "Besides, he says all the engines on this island are really useful. You think you're special? Ha! I've known dumpsters full of more important stuff than you."

"Has he ever said it to you?" asked Phillip.

"Well, not recently, but- That's beside the point," said Diesel 10. Then they heard a familiar whistle.

"Oh I know that whistle," said Phillip. "That's Henry, the big green engine."

"We know who it is," said Discord. "Sounds like he's coming in fast." And he was. Henry was being pushed by the troublesome trucks. Fluttershy knew a crash was coming on, so she quickly jumped out of the cab and rolled to a safe stop in the grass near the line.

"Oh no! Henry's in trouble!" said Phillip. "We have to help him!"

"Not our problem," said Diesel 10.

"Oh please, big diesel," said Phillip.

"For the last time," said Discord. "His name is Diesel 10. And what do you expect him to do about it anyway? How is he supposed to stop a runaway train, hmm?"

"Uh… Uh- Oh," said Phillip realizing he couldn't do anything.

"Exactly," said Discord. Up the line, Henry was still trying to stop the trucks. His brakes squealed as he approached a sharp bend. Meanwhile, on the mainland, Spitfire and the Flying Scotsman were waiting at a red signal near Barrow. The two didn't notice a pair of box cars nearby with eye slits looking at him. Then Sydney pulled by with Percy's mail vans.

"That's funny," said Spitfire. "I thought Percy and that kid Pinkie pulled the mail. Very peculiar, eh Scotsman?"

"Very peculiar indeed," said Scotsman. Then the signal dropped and the big engine rumbled on. The two trucks nearby were actually Den and Dart in not very convincing disguises and they were tailing him on Sombra's orders.

Back on Sodor, Henry's brakes squealed but it was no good as he came off the line at the corner.

"Oh no! He's derailed!" said Phillip as Fluttershy ran to her engine's aid.

"Oh, big deal," said Diesel 10.

"It's a very big deal," said Phillip. "Poor Henry. I'm gonna go try and help him." And he raced off.

"Good. Go!" said Diesel 10. "And don't come back! Silly little box-cab." At the Dieselworks, Sir Topham Hatt and Ms. Luna had arrived to see Diesel.

"Not to worry sir," said Diesel. "I'll do it right away."

"Thank you, Diesel," said Sir Topham Hatt. "Now if you'll excuse us, Henry's had an accident. I must go and make other arrangements for his trains." They were just leaving when…

"Ah sir, if I may sir," said Diesel. "I believe myself and the other diesels could attend to Henry's trains. Just like we have been with Percy and Ryan's."

"Hmm. I don't know," said Ms. Luna. Then a tarp fell off a roof, showing a collection of engine pictures. There were Percy, Ryan, Gordon, Thomas, Emily, Henry, and Bill and Ben, but Percy and Ryan's pictures were crossed off in red X's. Diesel quickly pulled up to prevent Ms. Luna and Sir Topham Hatt from seeing it as they turned. "Would that even be possible? One would think you diesels already have enough work to do as is."

"Oh, not to worry, ma'am," said Diesel. "We diesels are revolutionary. We're more than capable of doing a little bit more work together."

"Hmm," said Sir Topham Hatt as he and Luna left. "If you say so. Let us know if you end up being wrong."

"I will, Sir," said Diesel. "But I'm certain it won't be a problem."

"All right," said Sir Topham Hatt. "Thank you, Diesel." The two then boarded the car and drove off. Diesel gave a loud sigh of relief as Sombra came out of the shadows.

"That was too close," he said.

"Still. You're most welcome, Sir Topham," said Diesel deviously. He and Sombra laughed wickedly as Sombra crossed out Henry's picture with red paint. Up in the China Clay Works, Bill and Ben, the tank engine twins, were loading a train of stone when Timothy, the oil-burning engine, rolled up.

"Bill and Ben! What are you doing loading so many trucks at once?" he asked crossly.

"Calm down, Timothy," said Bill. "We're just trying to get our work done faster."

"What's the worst that could happen?" asked Ben. He shouldn't have asked because as they were moving their line of trucks, Fred the coal truck, who was at the front of the train, ordered the trucks to pull and the twins were yanked under the chute… just as the stone poured down on top of them.

"Ow! My boiler's dented!" spluttered Ben under the stones.

"I think there are rocks in my funnel," groaned Bill.

"This is your fault!" they said to each other. On another part of the island, Emily was being pushed by her own goods train.

"Oh! Where's Axel when I need him?" she yelled. The trucks just kept pushing until they drove her through the back wall of a goods shed. She was dazed when she shot out and her buffers were bent. On the Harwick line, Daisy was working hard and it was getting to her.

"Ugh. So much to do." she groaned. "So little time. Passengers, goods." She was so busy sulking she didn't notice she had passed a red signal. The switches were against her but she didn't notice until it was too late. She ran over the switches and derailed, knocking over a fence and laying on her side. Back at the dump, Diesel 10 was shunting when Phillip rolled in again.

"Hey, how many trucks do you think are on the island, Diesel 10?" he asked.

"Let me answer that question with a question," said Discord. "How many cells are in the average adult male human body?"

"Um…" said Phillip. "I have no idea."

"Well, there's your answer," said Discord.

"It must be a very big number," said Phillip. "Like one bajillion or something."

"That's not a real number," said Diesel 10. He and Discord had had enough of the little box-cab horning in, but no matter how many times they told him to leave, he would always show up again somewhere.

"I'm pretty sure it is," said Phillip. "Isn't that right, Pinchy?"

"Then why haven't we seen an engine with it?" asked Discord.

"Because we're going in numeric order," said Phillip.

"Oh is that so, number 68?" asked Discord. "And what about all the engines 11 through 67? And all the engines without numbers?"

"More importantly, why did you come back?" asked Diesel 10. Then Ms. Celestia pulled in in Sir Topham Hatt's car and jumped out.

"Diesel 10, Discord, stop what you're doing!" she said walking over.

"What is it this time, Celestia?" asked Discord. "If you want to get back together with me, I must inform you that ship sailed long ago."

"No Richard, you ass," said Ms. Celestia, kicking the driver in the shin.

"OW!" he yelled hopping around like an idiot. "Then what is it?"

"I need you to collect the breakdown train and head to the Harwick line," said Ms. Celestia. "Daisy's had an accident."

"And you want me and Diesel 10 to do it?" asked Discord.

"We're kind of starving for options right now," said Ms. Celestia as she walked back to the car. "There's been a number of other accidents, so the usual breakdown crew is busy. Now be quick about it, won't you?"

"Yes ma'am," said Diesel 10 as she boarded the car and drove away.

"Oh, this is gonna be exciting," said Phillip. Later on, they arrived at the Harwick line to find Daisy groggily waking up.

"Daisy? Daisy!" said Diesel 10, waking her up. "Daisy, are you alright?"

"Diesel 10? Discord, is that you?" she asked. "My vision's a bit blurry."

"And me too!" said Phillip.

"How you managed to talk us into bringing you, I'll never know," groaned Discord. "Oh wait. You didn't. You just decided to follow us for giggles."

"Oh, I must've dozed off," said Daisy. "I've been exhausted lately. That must be why I crashed."

"Really? How come?" asked Discord as the cranes winched her upright to lift her onto the flatbed.

"After Ryan and Sunset had their accident, Diesel made me take the goods _and_ the passengers on the Harwick line," explained Daisy. "There's been so much to do, I've barely gotten any breaks."

"Diesel made you?" asked Diesel 10 suspiciously.

"Yes. Him _and_ Sombra," she said. "Oh, I hope he doesn't find out I had an accident. I'm sure they'd be furious about it."

"Don't worry about them, Daisy," said Discord. "Let's just focus on your repairs." Soon they all pulled into the Dieselworks to see a lot of the diesels complaining in exhaustion in the sheds. When they entered the main building, Phillip was getting curious.

"What happened to all those other diesels?" he asked.

"Huh. I'm not sure, Phillip," said Diesel 10. "It seems like they've all been working very hard though. I wonder if Diesel has been overworking them." Suddenly, the tarp fell again and revealed the chart, but only Gordon and Thomas weren't crossed off.

"What the heck?" asked Discord. Then Diesel rolled in.

"Diesel 10? What are you doing here? You're not allowed here anymore, remember?" he asked.

"I was just leaving," said Diesel 10. "Come along, Phillip."

"Uh, right," said Phillip as he and the large diesel rumbled away. "Bye Daisy!" Sombra looked at Daisy and then at Diesel. Outside, they heard Diesel yelling at Daisy.

"You had an accident?" he asked. "Unacceptable."

"We're supposed to be showing how revolutionary you diesels are, not giving him more problems," said Sombra as he dragged a crowbar along the ground.

"As I suspected," said Discord. "Sombra and Diesel are behind all the recent accidents. "

"Huh? But why would Diesel want other engines to have accidents?" asked Phillip, still not tracking.

"Because…" said Diesel 10. "If the steam engines are damaged, then he can have diesel engines do their jobs. Show Sir Topham Hatt how useful diesels are."

"Oh! Well, that's not very nice for the steam engines," said Phillip.

"Not for the diesels either," said Discord, looking at the group over at the sheds. "Look at them. They're exhausted and miserable. Diesel and Sombra are overworking them." Then he eased his large diesel out of the yard. "We have to put an end to this. Meaning we have to protect the last two engines they're targeting; Thomas and Gordon." Further down the line, they rumbled down at a junction.

"We'll split up," said Diesel 10. "Discord and I will look out for Gordon and Rainbow Dash, and you look out for Thomas and Twilight. If it looks like they're in trouble, it's up to us to help them." Soon Phillip had taken refuge in a goods siding on the Ffarquhar branch line to watch Thomas as he pulled up at the platform. Phillip was talking into his radio when Twilight saw him.

"Phillip, what are you doing?" she asked, confused. He gave a scared squeal, but he recovered.

"Oh, uh hello Twilight," he said quickly. Thomas was getting confused, but Twilight was just suspicious.

"What are you doing here?" asked Thomas.

"Oh. Nothing," said Phillip. Thomas was still confused, but Twilight was still very suspicious when Phillip rumbled quickly away.

"Okay, I know the bar is set pretty high, but is it just me or did Phillip seem weird?" she asked.

"That little box-cab sure is an odd one," said Annie.

"Indeed, Annie," said Clarabel. "His radiator must've cracked." Then the guard's whistle blew.

"Well, whatever's going on with him, we'll have to worry about it later," said Twilight. "Back to work." And with that, the engine rumbled away.

Elsewhere on the island, Rainbow and Gordon were out for a nice stroll down the line with Diesel 10 and Discord close behind. Then Rainbow smelled diesel fuel in the air. She looked behind them and was scared.

"Don't look now, big guy, but it looks like we've got company," she said. Gordon looked and was surprised.

"Is that… Diesel 10? Is he following us?" he asked.

"I think he is," said Rainbow. "Better find out. Stop up ahead." With that, Gordon slid to a slow stop at the station and Diesel 10 stopped not far behind. "He _is_ following us. That can only mean trouble. I say we see if he can keep up. Open the regulator." With that, Gordon rocketed out of the station and roared down the main line with the large diesel right on his tender.

"Gordon! Rainbow, wait!" yelled Discord from the cab window. "Slow down!"

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" Rainbow yelled back. "We don't know what you're up to, Discord, but if you want us, you're gonna have to catch us! Adios!" Gordon was closing in on his top speed as he roared through the countryside.

"No, wait!" yelled Discord. "Listen! You're in danger!"

"Ha! Well, in that case, I'm sure the further we are from you, the safer we'll be." said Gordon as he roared towards the shunting yard. Diesel 10 just growled. When Gordon rumbled into the yard, he stopped just as a line of stone trucks were running down towards them.

On the Mainland, Den and Dart were rumbling down the line after the Flying Scotsman, but they could barely see him in their crate disguises, wondering where he might be. He and Spitfire were resting on a siding nearby when they saw the diesels rolling by. They were quite confused until they heard the hum of engines. Then Scotsman smiled and Spitfire saw it.

"Am I jumping the gun or are the words 'I have a cunning plan' about to be heard?" she asked.

"Indeed, and it's _so_ cunning, you could stick a tail on it and call it a ferret," said Scotsman. Then he whistled and the diesels stopped dead in their tracks. Spitfire chuckled at their reaction.

"Nice." she said. Back on Sodor, the trucks rammed into Gordon, running him off the line. Rainbow had seen the trucks and tried to stop Gordon, but when the crash came, she was knocked into the controls and her head started bleeding as she fell to the floor. Diesel 10 quickly retreated as he saw Diesel and Sombra were behind the line of trucks. Diesel and Sombra retreated as well, taking Scruffy with them. Then Diesel 10 ran up next to Gordon as Rainbow got down from the cab wrapping her head in the bandages from the first-aid kit in the cab.

"Oh you silly engine," said Discord. "Why didn't you listen to us?"

"Listen to you?" asked Rainbow incredulously. "You're the one responsible for this wreck."

"Wha- Us?" asked Diesel 10. "We were trying to **prevent** this accident. Diesel was the one who-"

"If it wasn't for you following us, I wouldn't have been going so fast, and I would've been paying attention to what was in front of me instead of keeping an eye on you."

"But we-" said Discord.

"Just go away," groaned Rainbow, clutching her head. Diesel 10 rumbled away as the breakdown train was brought in and Rainbow was loaded onto a stretcher. Back in the waste dump, Diesel 10 and Discord pulled into the sheds to rest.

"You know, in hindsight, that could've gone worse," said Discord. "Could've gone better, sure, but it could've gone worse."

"Evening, Diesel 10," said Phillip. "Evening Discord, Pinchy."

"Huh?" said Diesel 10, noticing Phillip. "Oh. Of course, you're here."

"Well, how'd it go on your end?" asked Discord. "How is our friend Thomas?"

"He's doing great! How about Gordon?" asked Phillip.

"Oh. Uh…" said Diesel 10 when Scruff pulled up.

"Diesel 10! Where on Earth have you and Discord been?" he asked crossly.

"None of your beeswax, Scruff," said Discord. "Now get lost!"

"You didn't shunt your share of the trucks today," said Scruff.

"Oh. Right. That," said Discord. "We'll work extra tomorrow."

"Alrighty then," said Scruff. "Night, you three." And with that, he puffed away.

"Good night," they said.

"Bossy green box on wheels," muttered Diesel 10.

"Now then, about Gordon…" said Discord. "He's already crashed. So tomorrow, we'll all have to keep an eye on Thomas and Twilight. No way he can have an accident with all three of us on guard."

The next day, Thomas was steaming along his branch line with Twilight, both happy as ever when they saw BoCo with the express.

"Peep peep! Good morning, BoCo!" whistled Thomas.

"Good morning, Thomas," BoCo yawned.

"Huh. Is it just me or did he seem tired?" asked Twilight. They rumbled along the line when they passed Mavis and Dennis. Thomas whistled at them and wished them good morning, and got the same reply as the one they got from BoCo. They were very confused as Diesel 10 and Phillip rumbled up behind him, following at a good distance. Down at the docks, everyone was working overtime as Thomas pulled in and Twilight coupled him to a long goods train. Just then, the dockside steamy with three domes, Porter pulled in.

"Morning Thomas. Twilight," he said.

"Morning Porter," said Twilight, taking the transport order from his driver. "So where's this lot going today?"

"Well, the fuel tankers are for the Rescue Center," said Porter as Twilight followed along on the order. "And the rest of the trucks have to go to the Steamworks. They're filled with parts to repair the others, so it's very important that they make it there on time and in one piece."

"No worries Porter," said Thomas as Twilight climbed aboard. "You can count on us." And with that, the blue engine blew his whistle and started rumbling out of the docks. Just before Porter stopped him.

"Whoa-whoa-whoa! Not so fast, Thomas," he said. "I still need to shunt the brakevan onto the end of the train. I'll just be a minute." And he quickly puffed to the back of the train.

"Oh right," Thomas chuckled. "Silly me."

"Okay," said Discord who was watching from a warehouse near the quay with Diesel 10 and Phillip. "So far, so good. No sign of trouble." Then…

"Oh! Hello, Diesel 10!" said Paxton as he pulled up. "I haven't seen you for a while."

"Sod off, Paxton! Kinda in the middle of something here," said Discord.

" _What?_ But we haven't spoken in ages," said Paxton. "Where've you been all this time? Diesel and Sombra are in charge of the Dieselworks now. They get things done, but they're nowhere near as fun as you and Discord." Paxton was still talking as Diesel shunted Scruffy to the back of Thomas' train undetected. Thomas felt the bump and thought it was the brakevan. Twilight looked back, expecting to see a green flag and she did. She didn't see it was Diesel and Scruffy as the end of the train was in a shadowy part of the yard, so she blew the whistle and Thomas steamed away.

"Thomas is leaving! Phillip, follow him! As quickly as you can!" said Discord. Then they rumbled away.

"Huh? Where are you going?" asked Paxton.

"Two words," said Discord. "Get. Stuffed. Now leave us alone." Then Porter pulled up with the brakevan to see Thomas was already leaving. Everything out on the main line was hunky-dory as the train rumbled along, but Thomas didn't notice Diesel 10 and Phillip following him.

"Huh. That diesel sure was a talker," said Phillip, talking about Paxton.

"Never mind that now," said Diesel 10. "Why is Thomas traveling without a brakevan? Doesn't he know how dangerous that is?"

"I think that's the point. Diesel must've pulled the old switcharoo to cause another accident," said Discord. Once they reached Gordon's Hill, Scruffy whispered something to the other trucks.

"All right," he said. "When we get to the top of the hill, we push as we can. Pass the word to the others." Once Thomas was at the top of the hill, Scruffy gave a hard biff and the train started running down the hill.

"On, on, on!" laughed the trucks. Twilight wobbled around in the cab and Thomas quickly dumped open the sandboxes to try and get a grip, but the trucks were too strong and their loads, too heavy. Quickly he blew his whistle.

"Brakes, Conductor! Please!" he yelled. But when Twilight looked back, all she saw at the end of the train was Scruffy.

"We don't have a brakevan! Someone at the docks tricked us!" she yelled. The train roared through station after station, as Thomas cried out for help. Then he was switched off to another line. Diesel 10 and Phillip stopped at the platform.

"Where did Porter say Thomas' train was going?" asked Discord.

"Uh, I think he said to the Rescue Center first, and then the Steamworks," said Phillip.

"The Steamworks?!" said Diesel 10. "All of the engines there… They could be in danger!"

"Phillip, you take the main line to the Steamworks to warn the others. The main line's faster," said Discord. "Diesel 10 and I will follow Thomas down the loop and try to stop him before he gets there."

"Right," said Phillip as he roared away. "Good luck."

"You too," said Diesel 10 as he rumbled onto the loop. Out on the loop, James and Rarity were out for a jaunt when Thomas and Twilight ran down the line past them.

"Oh no! Thomas!" yelled James as he ran after the train.

"Twilight, hit the brakes!" yelled Rarity.

"I'm trying," she yelled back, pulling on the brake lever. "But it won't work. And the sandboxes are already empty."

"I'm going to couple up behind you, Thomas," said James as he slowed down. "I'm going to try to slow you down."

"Whoa, déjà vu-ish." Twilight said to herself as James switched off behind Thomas.

"What the? Twilight darling, where's your brakevan?" asked Rarity.

"I don't know!" she called back. "Just stop the train!" James quickly buffered up behind Scruffy.

"What?" asked the truck. "Get away, you harridan!" Rarity was greatly insulted.

"'Harridan'? How dare you!" she said crossly.

"Silly trucks! Stop this!" he yelled as Rarity hooked them together. Then James and Thomas applied the brakes and the train slowed down, but just as it was, the coupling between Scruffy and the train snapped, sending James screeching to a stop and leaving Thomas running. Then Diesel 10 honked his horn. Twilight looked and was surprised.

"Diesel 10? Discord! I should've figured you were behind this," she said.

"What? No! This is Diesel's doing, not ours!" said Diesel 10.

"Oh sure," said Thomas sarcastically.

"It is," said Discord. "He's being assisted by a man named Sombra. They're the ones behind all this."

"Sombra? But he's been in prison for five years!" said Twilight. "How did he get out?"

"Search me, but either way, we're going to try and help you stop," said Discord as Diesel 10 slowed down. "Pinchy, work your magic!" The claw on the diesel's roof moved to grab a car, but it just bumped Thomas.

"Ow! Watch where you're aiming that thing!" he yelled.

"I told you, we're trying to help you!" said Diesel 10. He tried again, but it still wouldn't work.

At the Steamworks, Phillip pulled into the yard to see Arry and Bert blocking the line.

"Move over, diesels!" Phillip panted. "I have to warn everyone in the Steamworks about Thomas! He's a runaway and he's on his way here now!"

"No can do, kid," said Arry.

"We're here so annoying engines like you can't get through," said Bert. This greatly angered Phillip.

"I'm not annoying!" he growled as he rammed into Arry repeatedly. "Now get. Out. Of. My! WAY!"

"Ugh," groaned Arry, obviously tired and out of patience. "Let's get outta here, Bert. I'm too tired to deal with this." So the two diesels rolled away, letting Phillip zip on the line-changer. Inside, the Steamworks were packed, and Victor and Kevin were exhausted. Then Phillip zipped in.

"Quickly! Everyone! Thomas is headed this way and he's out of control!" he said quickly. "We have to-" But it was too late. Thomas' whistle echoed into the yard, along with the pounding of pistons.

Everyone gasped in fear as Discord came up with an idea. He maneuvered Pinchy to the back of the last tanker in the train, grabbing one of the tanks. Then he and Diesel 10 saw that the track ahead of them turned off to the right.

"Oh boy," said Discord as he strapped himself in. "This is gonna hurt!" Once Diesel 10's front bogey went around the bend, he was yanked right off the line onto his side, scraping along the ballast, and yelling in pain.

"Shed!" yelled Discord just as the diesel crashed through an old work shed and dragged it down, stopping Thomas just as he pulled into the Steamworks yard. Discord climbed out of his engine severely off-balance and fell onto the ground. "Ow." he groaned as he fell on his back. Everyone stared at the mess in a state of silent shock before Phillip rolled forward and congratulated the large diesel. Everyone else joined in the congratulations and whistled, clapped and laughed at the mess in the train's wake.

"Never thought I'd hear myself say this," said Twilight helping Discord to his feet. "But Discord, you and Diesel 10 are both really useful."

"Why, thank you Twilight," said Discord.

"Now what was all that flap about being my grandfather back when you tried to steal the crown?" asked Twilight.

"Oh that. I lied," said Discord and everyone laughed. Except Diesel 10. He just groaned.

"Just get me back on the rails so I can go back to the dump," he said. Not far away, Diesel had seen everything with Arry, Bert and Sombra.

"That traitor!" said Diesel. "How dare he interfere with our plan!?" Arry and Bert had had time to think it over, and they decided not to get involved so they just rolled away.

"This means war," said Sombra threateningly.

Back on the Mainland, Scotsman and Spitfire were still watching Den and Dart sit around until Scotsman gave a thoughtful sound.

"Hmm," he said, feigning surprise before he chuckled and started moving. "Oh hello. What do we have here?" Then he shunted the two diesels together. "Some trucks in the middle of the line?"

"And rather unusual ones at that, Scotsman," said Spitfire. "Either way, it doesn't look safe at all."

"Mm, no indeed Spitfire," said Scotsman as he pushed them into a siding. "I suppose we'll just have to shunt these away." Then he sent the diesels rolling before they hit the buffers. Hard. They were talking about Axel and other international engines just as they finished blocking the diesels in the siding.

"There. That oughtta do it," said Spitfire and the large engine rumbled away. The two diesels were left crying for help until Diesel arrived and said they had work to do.

At the Steamworks, it was complete and utter chaos. Everyone was complaining at once about needing first repairs, but Victor, Kevin and the crew could barely keep up. Emily was the only one who was nice, but she knew she was just as busted as the others.

"Ay no! Que Horrible!" said Victor exhausted.

"Hey Vic!" said Rainbow. "Must I remind you that Gordon up there is a very important engine? Without him, the express would never run to time."

"Your point being?" asked Victor.

"She's saying that my repairs should take priority," said Gordon. "I'm sure these rabble-rousers will understand that, hmm?" But they just complained more. Except Emily.

"I have to take care of everyone, Gordon," said Victor. "Besides, I heard an engine from the Mainland might be able to fill in. Who was it again? Ah si, it was your hermano."

"My what?" asked Gordon.

"Dang it, Rarity, I told you I should've learned Spanish in school, but _you_ insisted on French," Rainbow groaned to herself.

"Hermano means brother," Victor translated. Gordon and Rainbow looked at each other and grimaced.

"Oh boy," said Rainbow. Out on the main line, the streamlined Connor was out for a run when he passed the Japanese engine Hiro.

"Hello there, mate," he said.

"Kon'nichiwa, Connor," said Hiro. Then Hiro ran over some stones, which knocked some lumber from his train onto the junction, which Connor ran into and derailed.

"Oh no!" he cried. He cried for help, and almost like an answered prayer, a mysterious engine raced into view. He was bright red with yellow lining on his smoke deflectors and boiler. He had a green running plate with two Chinese letters written on his cab and a yellow tiger design was emblazoned on his tender. His funnel was shaped like that of a dragon.

"Not to worry, I am here," he said with a Chinese accent. "Hello. How's your day going?" Then he ran right into the wood on the track, but instead of crashing, he flew over it like a great Chinese dragon.

"Yong!" said Hiro in amazement. Then they heard Spencer's whistle in the distance.

"Oh no! Hurry!" shouted Connor.

"Another quiet day on the rails," said the engine as his driver took a crate out of the cab. "What do you say we _lighten_ things up?" The driver opened the crate to show it was full of Chinese fireworks. He lit some of them from the engine's firebox and they shot into the air, exploding in bright red and yellow. Spencer saw the fireworks and the wreck just in time to stop before he crashed into Connor.

"Whew," sighed Connor. "Thank you, whoever you are."

"Yong Bao," the engine said and winked. "Try to stay on the rails next time. Otherwise, bad luck for you. Xīnnián kuàilè!" And with that, the driver loaded the fireworks back into the engine and he steamed away.

"Wait! Yong! Yong Bao!" called Hiro, but it was too late as Yong Bao was already gone. "Aw. Every time."

Elsewhere, Yong Bao had just pulled up alongside Scotsman. "Yong Bao," said the green engine as Spitfire bowed, showing the proper Chinese courtesy. "You're late."

"Fashionably," corrected the Chinese engine. "As always."

"We have a lot to discuss," said Spitfire.


	11. Brother Bother

**Ch. 11: Brother Bother**

While Gordon was in the works being repaired after his accident, Sir Topham Hatt had ordered Spitfire and the Flying Scotsman to come to Sodor and pull the Express. They thundered under the old iron bridge as Arry and Bert rumbled over it with a slow goods train.

"Ah bother," said Arry. "I've had enough of all these slow goods."

"Yeah," agreed Bert. "Why should we have to do Henry's work? This is a job for a bigger engine." What they didn't know was that the bridge they were on was in desperate need of repair as the metal supports creaked and groaned. Later, the Scotsman pulled into Knapford wheeshing to a stop.

"Right on time, as always," said Spitfire proudly.

"Well, bust my buffers," said Thomas, who was on the other line. "Good morning, Flying Scotsman. What are you doing here?"

"Why hello there, Thomas," said the big engine. "Sir Topham Hatt requested that Spitfire and I take charge of the Express while Gordon is under repair. I'll be sure to give these passengers a run they won't forget." Scotsman chuckled before blowing his whistle and steaming away without the coaches.

"Well," said Clarabel. "It'll be quite nice having the Flying Scotsman here."

"And I'm sure Gordon will be glad that his express is in good buffers," said Annie. But she was wrong. Back at the Steamworks…

"The Wild Nor' Wester. Pulled by a mainland engine?" asked Gordon incredulously as he ran back and forth in the yard.

"Yes Gordon," said Victor annoyed. "We've been over this. Now, please. You haven't finished your paces." Gordon continued running back and forth, but Rainbow could hear a weird noise.

"Hey Victor," she said from the side of his line. "Do you hear a clanking?" Victor listened and heard it coming from Gordon's siderods.

"Hmm. Your crankpin looks loose," he said to Gordon. "It's making your coupling rods rattle."

"Victor, I assure you," said Gordon, not paying attention to the rattle. "I'm fine."

"Hmm, I don't think so, big guy," said Rainbow. Then something crashed in the Steamworks. Rainbow looked in and saw the others groaning in pain. Then she looked back out. "You sure?"

"Absolutely," said Gordon. "Victor, my dear friend, there is simply no time to waste."

"It's true, Victor," said Henry nearby. "The railway is in a bit of a crisis." Victor still wasn't sure, but he conceded. Gordon was soon out on the main line with Rainbow in the cab, but his loose crankpin still rattled. They paid no mind to it as they continued on.

"Looking good so far, big guy," said Rainbow. "Let's open it up."

"Very well then," said Gordon. "Now for a sprint." Gordon started to speed up when the crankpin rattled further loose and bumped into some of the other poles in Gordon's siderods, so they were forced to slow down. They were just passing under the old iron bridge when a goods train passed over it and the supports creaked again. But Gordon didn't notice.

Back at Knapford Station, Scotsman had just heard his brother's speed record.

"Really? That's _his_ record for the Express?" he asked slyly.

Spitfire scoffed. "Shouldn't be too hard to beat, eh big guy?" she asked. Just then, Gordon rattled in, making most of the others there groan in pain at the sound of the crankpin.

"Oh, grow up," said Rainbow bitterly.

"Rainbow!" said Spitfire, as she walked over to the big engine's cab through Scotsman's. "There you are, kid. Though it was pretty easy. We heard you a mile away. What's up with the big guy?"

"Just a new crankpin getting used to the wheel arrangement. Noise should be gone by tomorrow," said Rainbow, as she coupled Gordon to his express coaches. "Now if you'll excuse us, we've got a train to pull." With two strong blasts of the whistle, Gordon was almost off with Rainbow in the cab when Ms. Luna walked out of Sir Topham Hatt's office.

"Gordon," she said, walking over. "I didn't think you'd be back so soon. Excellent. Now you can help with Henry's work while the Flying Scotsman handles your express."

"What? No!" said Gordon.

"I'm sorry, Gordon," said Ms. Luna. "It can't be helped. Controller's orders and all that." Scotsman smiled at his brother as Rainbow just fumed in the cab.

Later, they were out on the main line again hauling a long goods train, still rattling with the crankpin.

"Oh, this is disgraceful," said Gordon.

"Eh. Could be worse," said Rainbow. "At least your brother isn't here to see this." Then they heard the Scotsman's whistle. Rainbow grimaced. "I hate my stupid mouth."

"I hate it more," said Gordon honestly. Then Scotsman roared up behind them.

"Make way for the Express!" he bellowed just before stopping next to them. "Well, well, well, would you look at this? Fancy seeing you as a goods engine, little brother."

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were enjoying your holiday." said Spitfire.

"Oh, be off with you," said Gordon indignantly.

"Oh, and just FYI, we're about to have a go at your beloved speed record," said Spitfire.

"If you can call it that," chuckled Scotsman.

"My record? For the Nor' Wester? You wouldn't dare." said Gordon.

"Come now, brother," said Scotsman. "This is me we're talking about, remember?" Then he whistled and sped up, laughing.

"No! Not my record!" cried Gordon. They were just going under the bridge again when another goods train rumbled over it and it creaked louder. Gordon stopped short just as ballast and rusted girders fell from the bridge.

"Oh man," said Rainbow. "This bridge isn't safe. The Express line runs right under it. We have to warn the other engines." Quickly, they shunted their train onto a siding and roared away to Knapford, where practically the entire island had gathered.

"Now hear this, now hear this," yelled Spitfire. "This is gonna be a run to remember." Just then, Gordon came in, quickly blasting short bursts on his whistle.

"Emergency! Emergency!" he yelled. "Stop all trains! The iron bridge is going to collapse. The Express cannot go through!"

"Whoa!" laughed the Flying Scotsman. "What hogwash! I didn't think a Doncaster-drawn LNER brother of mine would stoop so low."

"Just ignore them, guys," said Spitfire. "They're just jealous!"

"What? No, we're not!" said Rainbow. "Listen, Spitfire! You can't go on this run! It's too dangerous!"

"Oh, Rainbow, darling," said Scotsman as he steamed away. "I feel you two may be a little overprotective of this record of yours."

"No, it's not about the record!" said Gordon as he steamed after the express. "It's about your safety! Please, you can't go under that bridge!"

"Sorry, Gordon!" said Scotsman. "I can't hear you over that insistent clanking!"

"Spitfire, listen! You can't go under that bridge! It might collapse!" yelled Rainbow.

"Collapse! Oh please! If you really wanna protect this record, you shouldn't come up with such lame excuses!" said Spitfire. Then Gordon saw a signalbox.

"Poop Poop!" he whistled. "The iron bridge is damaged! You have to divert the train!" The signalman understood, but he accidentally switched the Scotsman to go _over_ the bridge instead of under it.

"Well, this is an improvement!" said Rainbow sarcastically as Gordon was switched onto the bridge as well. Gordon whistled again.

"Flying Scotsman! Spitfire! Stop the train!" he yelled as he stopped. At last, he did… right in the middle of the bridge.

"Okay, fine! We stopped! Happy ye- whoa." said Spitfire as she felt the bridge wobble… just before it gave way right under the train, leaving the Scotsman hanging on the tracks like a tightrope.

"Oh, fire and smoke!" yelled the Scotsman in fear.

"Back up, back up, back up, back up, back up!" yelled Spitfire. He tried as hard as he could but the train was too heavy to push backward from a gradient like this. Then they started to slip. "Okay, stop! Stop! Stop-stop-stop-stop-stop-stop! If we just lock the brakes, we won't have to worry about the bridge taking us down with it." Scotsman quickly locked his brakes on, and they stopped slipping so much. Then they felt a bump. Gordon had buffered up behind the train and Rainbow was nearby with a shunter's pole.

"Hang on, Spitfire! We gotcha!" she yelled.

"What do you think we're doing?" asked the wing commander. Gordon was coupled to the train and started to pull. He heaved and hauled, and hauled and heaved, but at last, even with a loose crankpin, he managed to pull the Scotsman and the train to safety… just before his crankpin fell out and his siderods fell from his frame.

"Oh well, that's just great!" said Rainbow. Scotsman was quickly switched onto the other line and backed up next to his brother.

"Oh, thank you, Gordon," he said relieved. "Are you alright?" Then Spitfire noticed the siderods on the ground.

"Aside from the siderods, he means," she said.

"Ah, that's an easy fix," said Rainbow. "We'll be fine. We really shouldn't have been so jealous."

"Actually, my dear," said Scotsman. "I think your jealousy just saved my life. Why, if you hadn't rushed out of the works when you did, that bridge may have come down right on top of us." Gordon and Rainbow gave a chuckle.

"I suppose you're right, brother," said Gordon.

"But in future, let's make sure not to let something as petty as a speed record drive a wedge between us," said Spitfire.

"I guess that's true," said Rainbow. "But when you think about it, it was still a run to remember."

"Indeed it was," chuckled Scotsman.

The next day, they had their picture in the paper, and when they read it in the works with the others, Rainbow and Gordon were outraged.

"Oh, come on!" said Rainbow. "Really? _That's_ the headline?"

"What's wrong with it?" asked Applejack.

"Look at it," said Gordon. "'Little Brother a Hero'?! Whose bright idea was that?" The Scotsman and Spitfire just steamed away laughing. Later that day, they were in the yard, talking to Arthur, Shining Armor, and Stanley.

"I dare say, the bridges here are so poorly maintained," said Scotsman.

"I mean, you're not wrong," said Armor.

"The Suspension Bridge only collapsed twice last year," said Stanley. Then Yong Bao came rocketing into the yard right in front of Scotsman, nearly plowing Spitfire.

"Where have you been?" he asked crossly.

"Uh, hehe," Scotsman chuckled nervously. "Um, there you are, Yong Bao."

"You summoned me here. What have you been doing?" asked Yong Bao. "We're supposed to be investigating-"

"We _were_ investigating," said Scotsman. "While pulling the express and-"

"The express?" asked Yong Bao, raising an eyebrow.

"Um, hey guys, this guy's kind of a rough customer," said Spitfire. "Would you mind?" Without another word, Stanley and Arthur steamed away.

Scotsman sighed. "Forgive me. I did promise we would get to the bottom of things."

"Like that fiasco with Ivan and Raul in Monte Carlo," said Yong Bao.

"I thought we agreed never to speak of Monte Carlo again," Spitfire blushed. Then, Paxton was wiped out from his hard day's work as he passed them, drawing their attention.

"What do you think? Worth investigating?" asked Scotsman.

"Perhaps," said Yong Bao. "If you are not distracted."


	12. The Great Chase

**Ch. 12: The Great Chase**

Things had basically go to hell in a handbasket on the Island of Sodor as James and Rarity were a runaway, being pushed by trucks, headed straight for Discord and Diesel 10, who were picking scrap up off the side of the tracks, singing to themselves… just before James crashed into their scrap truck, knocking it into the air, spilling the scrap.

"Oh come on!" yelled Discord.

"HELP!" yelled James.

"Ugh," said Diesel 10 as he and Discord rumbled after him. "What is it now?" Thomas was at a water tower further down, filling up when James roared through, knocking the tower pipe loose and spilling the water on the blue engine.

"Cinders and ashes!" said Thomas. Then Diesel 10 bumped into Thomas.

"Ow!" he yelled.

"Twilight darling, help!" yelled Rarity from the cab. "We're out of control! And Diesel 10 and Discord are chasing us!"

"To try and save you!" yelled Discord. "Seriously, what will it take for people to believe we're the good guys now?"

"Don't worry, Rarity," said Twilight as the two engines rumbled after him. "We'll help you!"

"You _and_ Diesel 10?" asked James incredulously.

"Were you not there when he saved the Steamworks?" asked Twilight.

"You know, I don't think he was." said Discord. The engines ran and ran until Diesel 10 ran up behind Thomas.

"Okay, this is obviously not working," said Discord. "Move to the line ahead of James and try to help him stop manually. We'll slow him down from the back."

"We're on it," said Twilight and she opened the regulator as far as it would go, sending Thomas up in front of James before he was switched onto the track in front of him. Diesel 10's claw waved in the wind as he reached for the back of the train. Thomas slowed down and let James buffer him in the back before they both slammed on the brakes as Diesel 10's claw grabbed the side of one of James' trucks, but it only succeeded in ripping out a chunk of wood.

"Whoopsie-daisy," said Discord. "Okay then, brakevan." But they only succeeded in knocking the brakevan's cabin up onto the back of one of the trucks. Then they saw a low bridge up ahead with Bertie the bus broken down on it. "Man, this is just not our day." Then the top of the brakevan was ripped away by the bridge. The guard was okay, but the train was still a runaway. Then they saw something really bad.

"End of the line, end of the line!" yelled Discord as he closed his eyes. Thankfully, they were switched off onto the main line just before crashing. "Phew." But then he saw they were headed right towards Edward's train. "Oh come on!" They were switched off again, but Discord was not happy. "I swear, if that happens one more time, I am going to scream." Thankfully, it didn't and the large diesel was able to switch back to the left line and run up alongside Thomas.

"We need to split up," said Twilight. "You go cut him off. We'll follow James along the bridge."

"Good plan, but one problem with it," said Discord. "The bridge collapsed last week, remember?" And sadly, reconstruction was slow-going due to a shortage of materials. Diesel 10 pulled up near the construction site and Discord jumped down to watch. Quickly, Diesel 10's claw set to work, ripping trees and bushes to cushion the landing. Just then, they heard Thomas' whistle. They looked and saw him at the edge just before James ran off the end of the track. Rarity quickly jumped clear, but James jumped along new supports before crashing into the pile of plants and his cars crashed and smashed everywhere, spilling the coal James was supposed to deliver. Luckily, no one was hurt and James was only slightly damaged.

"Well, that wasn't the most orthodox rescue we've ever been part of," said Twilight. "But a rescue all the same." Then the wind blew coal dust onto James' paint and he started freaking out.

"Oh brother," said Discord. Meanwhile, elsewhere on the island, Paxton was so scatterbrained with work, he crashed into a train of waiting flatbeds Phillip was loading. Just then, the Flying Scotsman pulled up and gave a thoughtful "Hmmm".

"Curiouser and curiouser," he said. "Yet another accident."

"What the heck has been happening on this railway?" asked Spitfire as Yong Bao steamed up. Paxton and Phillip remembered everything that had happened since Sailor John was arrested. A change had to be made, and soon. A change that only a small group of engines could resolve.

"We only have one option," said Spitfire. "We have to assemble them."

"Agreed," said Yong Bao. "It's time we bring together Sodor's Finest."


	13. Sodor's Finest

**Ch. 13: Sodor's Finest**

Things on Sodor had calmed down after James' crash, but only just as the Scottish Twins were having problems with trucks just like the other engines. Their brakevans didn't help much as they were broken away by Scruffy and Rickety who were on the backs of the trains.

Yong Bao, Spitfire and the Flying Scotsman were up on the ridge where the iron bridge once stood and watched the two race through the canyon.

"See that, Yong Bao?" asked Scotsman. "We told you the trucks on this island have been acting out."

"They need help," said the Chinese engine as he reversed. "Let's go!"

"W-w-wait! What?! Shouldn't we make a plan first?" asked Scotsman.

"No time for that," said Yong Bao firmly.

"What do you mean 'no time for that'?" asked Scotsman.

"And just where the hell do you think you're going?" asked Spitfire as Yong Bao charged at the warped rails, ramping off them and flying through the air like a Chinese dragon.

"I'm taking a shortcut," he said and landed perfectly on the other side of the canyon. "Coming?" Scotsman's eyes were wide with wonder and fear and Spitfire was just slack-jawed at his display.

"Um, I think we'll take the long way round," said Scotsman. Donald and Douglas were still trying to stop their trains, but they weren't having much luck until the two foreign engines roared up next to them. Their drivers quickly produced shunters poles and unhooked the engines from their trains, but they were still running at great speeds.

"Now what?" asked Douglas.

"Speed up," ordered Yong Bao. They looked and saw that they were almost at the harbor quay.

"Have you lost yer mind?" asked Donald.

"Don't argue, just speed up!" barked Yong Bao. The engines quickly did so and left their trains behind, but still running.

"Points!" called Yong Bao. The signalman quickly switched the points so that Donald and Douglas were on Scotsman and Yong Bao's tracks before they screeched to a stop. Then they were switched back to allow the trucks to run off line into the harbor.

Back at Knapford Station, Diesel 10 and Discord were getting another grilling from Sir Topham Hatt, Ms. Celestia, and Ms. Luna.

"You must understand Sir," said Discord. "Thomas was just about to crash into the Steamworks. That was the only way to stop him that actually worked. Trust me, we tried other ways."

"You? Save the Steamworks?" scoffed Celestia. "I find that rather hard to believe."

"It's true. You can even ask all the other engines there," said Diesel 10. "They'll all tell you."

"I will," said Sir Topham Hatt. "And for your sake, I hope they back your story. Now get back to work."

"Yes Sir," said Discord as he boarded Diesel 10 and drove him away to the waste dump. No sooner had he left than Diesel slithered in.

"Ah, now there's a diesel we can rely on," said Ms. Luna.

"Good day, ma'am," he greeted in an oily voice. "What can I do for you?"

"Well, we know it's a lot to ask," said Ms. Celestia. "But we have to leave the island. Urgent business and all that. Now, as I'm sure you're aware, the railway exactly isn't in the best shape at the moment. So Sir Topham Hatt has to leave someone in charge who we can all trust to keep the trains running on time. Can you do it?"

"Oh, certainly ma'am," said Diesel. "It would be an honor, Sir."

"Excellent," said Sir Topham Hatt gladly. "I knew we could count on you."

"Of course, sir," said Diesel. "When will you be leaving?"

"Well, the plane leaves in fifteen minutes, so we'd best be going now," said Celestia. "Good luck, Diesel." And with that, they all boarded Bertie the bus and roared away. Once they were gone, Sombra stood up in Diesel's cab and smirked at the engine.

"Your ability to manipulate that old buffoon still amazes me," he said.

"I sometimes even amaze myself sometimes, Sombra," said Diesel and the two shared a fiendish cackle as they left. That night in the yard, Scruffy had another nightmare, remembering the day Oliver ripped him in half due to his improper maintenance. He woke up just as Diesel, Arry, Bert, and Sombra rolled in.

"There you three are," said Sombra as he walked forward.

"Unless you've come to tell me that you got Oliver for me, you'd better back right up, buddy," said Scruffy bitterly. "Cause I'm sick of doing your dirty work without any kind of reward."

"Yeah," said Fred and Rickety.

"Calm down, my raspy friend," said Diesel. "You'll be reunited with your old pal Ollie very shortly."

"The time has come, my troublesome friends," said Sombra. "To initiate the final stage of our plan." What they didn't notice was that Spitfire's boyfriend and fellow Wonderbolt, Simon Smith, nicknamed Soarin, was nearby with a radio, relaying everything to her, Scotsman and Yong Bao.

"I knew it," said Spitfire. "I knew Diesel was behind all this. And that he couldn't be coordinating it alone."

"Let's do something and end this," said Yong Bao.

"No-no-no-no," said Scotsman. "It's too risky, old friend. Listen, we need a plan."

"We'll need two of you for one last attempt at getting rid of that meddlesome Thomas," said Sombra. "And if we're lucky, we'll get Oliver too."

"Well, in the meantime," said Spitfire, turning to her radio. "Soarin, that's enough info. Fall back and return to the safehouse."

"Copy that, commander," said Soarin as he snuck away from the diesels and the engines puffed away as Diesel took Scruffy and Fred, leaving Rickety alone. Then not long after he fell asleep, he was woken up in another part of the yard by bright lights to see Scotsman, Yong Bao, Spitfire, and Soarin; a strong man with emerald eyes, dark grayish blue hair and wearing a pale cornflower-colored RAF Squadron Leader uniform with a winged lightning bolt-shaped medal on the lapel, just like Spitfire.

"Steam engines?" asked Rickety before scoffing. "You'll never get anything out of me. I'll never talk. Never."

"Are you sure you want to tangle with the Royal Air Force? We have a military helo right above this position with orders to drop a bomb on you if you don't comply," said Soarin as he pulled out a radio. "Flight Lieutenant, report. Over."

"Flight Lieutenant Faye Fleetis, AKA Fleetfoot here," said a woman's voice over the radio over the gyrating of helicopter blades "GPS tracker you planted on the truck is working like a charm. Bomb is ready to be dropped on your signal. Over."

"10-4, Fleetfoot. Remember, on my signal, hit the button. Over." he replied.

"Copy that. Over and out," said Fleetfoot.

"In the meantime, let's see what these guys can do on their own," said Spitfire as the two walked to one side. The two steamies smirked and started puffing forward.

"Alright, alright, I'll talk!" said Rickety. "I'll tell you everything!" Soarin smirked and went for his radio.

"Fleetfoot, abort bomb-drop," he said. "I repeat, abort bomb-drop."

"Copy that, Soarin," said Fleetfoot from the side of the room as she walked into the shed with a fan in her hand. "Over and out." She then smirked. Fleetfoot was a tall beautiful woman with fuchsia eyes, light gray hair, and a light arctic blue uniform with the same medal as the others.

The next morning, the five were seeing the truck off at the harbor as he floated away on a raft.

"Bon voyage," said Yong Bao without the accent. "Is that how you say it?"

"Well, it's French, so if I were you, I'd ask Étienne or Axel," said Soarin as he climbed into his cab.

"Oh," said Yong Bao.

"So now what do we do?" asked Fleetfoot.

"Now we assemble… Sodor's Finest," said Scotsman. Later that day, Thomas was on the branch line with Annie and Clarabel, talking to them and Twilight about something.

"It's so unlike Sir Topham Hatt to leave the island at a time like this." said Thomas.

"Indeed," said Annie. "Whatever business he has to attend to on the Mainland must've been very important."

"But why would he put Diesel in charge?" asked Clarabel.

"I don't know," said Twilight. "But with a criminal like Sombra at his controls, it can only mean trouble." Up ahead on a hill, Diesel and Sombra were waiting with Scruffy and Fred.

"Alright, here comes Thomas, but where's Oliver?" asked the ballast truck. "You said he'd be here too."

"We said there was a chance he _might_ be here," said Sombra. "Besides, he can't be far behind. Diesel told him to take a goods train to Maron Station." Just as Thomas started climbing the hill, Fred released his brakes and raced down the hill with three other trucks behind him. Thomas saw them and quickly started reversing away. Oliver came by on the other line and was very confused.

"What do you think that was about, Toad?" he asked his brakevan.

"I don't know, Mr. Oliver," said Toad. "But I hope we don't have any similar mishaps." Obviously, Toad hadn't heard the adage "He who lives in hope, dies in despair", as Scruffy released his brakes just as Oliver began climbing. The Great Western engine started running as well, soon catching up with Thomas. Then Yong Bao roared up in reverse with Soarin and Fleetfoot in the cab and was switched onto Thomas' line. He then slowed down and let the trucks run into him before buffering up to Thomas. The two then applied their brakes and stopped the trucks. Then Flying Scotsman shot past with Spitfire in the cab, getting Twilight really confused.

Scotsman had zipped back to Oliver and Spitfire was yelling at him from the cab.

"Come on, Little Western, pick it up!" she yelled. Oliver quickly did so, allowing Scotsman the chance to slip onto his line and buffer up to the trucks. Thankfully, one of the advantages of having two tenders in these situations was that they each had their own set of brakes, all linked to a single lever in the cab, which Spitfire quickly pulled and brought the trucks to screeching halt. Then Yong Bao and Thomas steamed back to them.

"See Scotsman? That wasn't so bad," said Yong Bao.

"Yeah, it was actually kinda fun." said Soarin.

"Indeed," said Scotsman. "Say, do those two trucks at the fronts look familiar to you?"

"Uh-oh," said Fred and Scruffy.

"We've only got like one raft left, and I bet the MRAF will be ticked if we ask him to throw these guys off an aircraft carrier," said Spitfire.

"Yeah, I guess we'll just have to shunt them into the back of the yard," said Fleetfoot. Just then, Diesel rumbled up.

"Oh, uh, sorry about this everyone," he said, feigning sorrow. "My train got away from me on the hill."

"Yeah, both of em," said Soarin, tapping Scruffy and Fred each with a riding crop.

"They split on a junction," explained Diesel as he pulled Scruffy's line away. "Uh, Oliver, Thomas, I believe you have some work to do."

"Well, thank you two for the help, but Diesel's right," said Thomas. "Oliver and I have work to do."

"It can wait, kid," said Spitfire. "You have to come with us now. Both of you."

"But first, Spitfire," said Yong Bao. "What should we do with our orange friend here?"

"I've got some ideas," said Soarin, cracking his knuckles and neck.

Later on, the Wonderbolts, their engines, and quite a few others were gathered in the shunting yard, but the other engines were just arguing. Soon enough, some of the engines started to leave, but then Spitfire pulled out a megaphone and pistol.

"Atten… TION!" she yelled through it before firing the pistol into the air, but those who had left were still gone, and that didn't stop the others' talking. "SHUT UP!" Her yelling echoed around the yard and everyone was silent. "Thank you," she said, putting down her megaphone and holstering the pistol.

"Now then," said Scotsman, getting back on track (No pun intended). "The reason you all are here is because the increase in accidents that have been occurring recently is no coincidence."

"Diesel has allied himself with the troublesome trucks and has been masterminding the entire thing from the get-go," said Soarin, pulling down a projection screen and setting a projector in place in front of it. Then he turned it on to show a mugshot of Sombra, revealing his real name to be Salvestro Sombra, with his nickname being 'The King'. "He has been assisted by this man; Salvestro 'The King' Sombra. They've been deliberately targeting steam engines so that diesels can take over the North-Western Railway."

"Yes, but we already knew that," said Discord. "Well, Phillip, Diesel 10 and I did anyway."

"Yes, of course," said Fleetfoot. "But do you know the next phase of their plan?"

"Uh, no," said Diesel 10.

"And I'm almost afraid to even ask what it is," said Discord.

"With Sir Topham Hatt off the island, for now, they plan to shut off all the island's coal supplies," said Scotsman. "In a matter of days, all steam traffic on Sodor will grind to a halt." Everyone gasped. "Gasp you should, because unless we stop them here and now, we'll never be able to save the Island."

"What are we going to do?" asked Twilight.

"Simple," said Spitfire, checking the weight on her riding crop. "We're gonna stop him. But the Wonderbolts, Yong Bao, Scotsman and I? We can't do it alone. That's why we're calling on you engines to help us."

"But how?" asked Paxton.

"We'll split up into teams," said Spitfire. "There are only three main coal sources on the island; Knapford harbor, the Crovan's Gate mine, and the Vicarstown Bridge. Each team will take up a position at each different source and guard it. Hopefully, we can hold out and hold off Diesel until Sir Topham Hatt returns."

Soon enough, the teams were decided and on guard. Thomas, Twilight, Oliver, Toad, Yong Bao, and Soarin were at the mine, Phillip, Paxton, Fleetfoot, Diesel 10 and Discord were at the harbor and Scotsman and Spitfire were at the bridge. Then while on the lookout, Scotsman saw the back of a yellow BR class shunting diesel. It called out to him in an unusual voice, saying it needed a hand. Scotsman, always willing to help, puffed across the bridge and came face-to-face with Bert.

"Surprise Scotsman!" he said.

"It's a trap!" yelled Spitfire as the bridge raised behind them. Spitfire could just make out Diesel and Arry on the other side before it went all the way up.

"You know, honestly, I thought an RAF Wing Commander and the most famous engine in the LNER would've provided more of a challenge," said Sombra. "Either way, have fun on the Mainland with Bert."

"What?" asked the smelter's twins.

"But Boss-" began Arry.

"Stuff it or I'll scrap you myself," said Sombra as he used the crane they had taken to smash the bridge controls in the signalbox nearby, locking it in place.

"Come on Arry," said Diesel. "We've got work to do." The diesel rolled away laughing as Arry rumbled away, sad to lose his brother. Quickly, Spitfire got on the radio.

"Spitfire to all units," she said. "Diesel tricked us. We're stuck on the Mainland with Bert and the bridge is locked upright. Send help as soon as you can." Back at the harbor, Phillip was wondering if they were at the right port. Soon they were in a large argument over where the coal was supposed to be coming in, which distracted them from Dodge shunting a train of coal trucks into the water until it was too late and he was long gone.

"Oh, you've got to be freaking kidding me," groaned Discord as he massaged his temples. Then Fleetfoot got on the radio.

"Fleetfoot to all units," she said. "We just lost the coal shipment at the harbor and the delivery barge. The only coal reservoir left on is Crovan's Gate Mine. Defend with your lives, Soarin."

"Will do," said Soarin. "Crovan's Gate Team, out." Then Oliver noticed something.

"Where is everyone?" he asked. "This mine is usually filled with workers and trucks."

"I don't know," said Thomas. "But this sure is eerie."

"Best guess? Sombra cut off all traffic to and from here, and ordered all the trucks be assigned other tasks," said Soarin.

"Let's check it out," said Yong Bao as the engines steamed into the mine.

"I don't feel good about this, Mr. Oliver," said Toad. "I think we should leave."

"Not an option, Toad," said Twilight. "If we let the mine go under, the diesels will take over the island, just like the GWR." Then a shunting diesel shot out of the mine, hauling a train of trucks. Soarin quickly took the opportunity and slapped a tracker on the diesel.

"Okay, that was kinda creepy," said Twilight. "I don't recognize that diesel."

"That diesel came from inside the mine," said Yong Bao. "We should investigate." And with that, he led the charge into the mine.

"What? Oh!" groaned Thomas in fear.

"To quote every _Star Wars_ movie ever made," said Twilight as the other engines followed Yong Bao in. "'I've got a bad feeling about this'." The mine was pitch black, and the engines had forgotten to bring their lamps.

"Argh, it's so hard to see in here," groaned Yong Bao. Soarin quickly took a few small Chinese fireworks from the cab and lit them, lighting the cave up with colorful explosions.

"Whoa! No! Not good!" yelled Twilight. "Yong Bao, stop it!"

"What?" asked the Chinese engine.

"Uh hello? Lighting fireworks in a coal mine?" asked Twilight. "You're just begging for a fire to start."

"Or worse, you could blow us all up," said Oliver.

"Oh please," said Yong Bao, as they continued. "You Sudrian engines are far too worrisome. Now come. There is something up ahead."

"You call it worry, we call it common sense," said Twilight. Yong Bao paid her no heed as they went further down into the mine before they were all split up. Thomas and Yong Bao were both sent on roller coaster-like trestles around the mine. Thomas and Twilight cried out in concern, but Soarin just laughed and Yong Bao yelled happily in Chinese before the lines normalized.

"Oh, Mr. Oliver," groaned Toad. "Can we go back now?"

"Well, that was fun," said Yong Bao. Then he saw a spark. "Oh. What's that?"

"I think it's dynamite," said Thomas slightly worried. Then Soarin sniffed.

"Is something burning?" he asked. Then he looked and his face instantly lost color. "The fireworks lit the fuse on one of the bundles!"

"Oh dear," said Yong Bao. Quickly, he tried to blow out the fuse, but he only succeeded in igniting more bundles of explosive.

"Okay, that didn't work. All in favor of running for our lives, say Aye," said Soarin quickly.

"Aye!" everyone yelled.

"Go!" yelled Soarin as he shot Yong Bao forward around a loop in the track with the others on his tail in a matter of seconds.

"Nice work, Yong Bao!" shouted Twilight. "You've doomed us all!" The engines ran for their lives and managed to get out of the way just as the crates they lit went up in smoke. But the explosion destabilized the cavern and it started to crumble. Just before he made it to the exit, the connection between Oliver and Toad snapped and Toad rumbled away as Oliver hit some rocks and derailed.

"Help!" he yelled as the others made it out, just before the mine entrance they had used collapsed.

"Is everyone okay?" asked Twilight. She looked and saw a sad little GWR toad brakevan, but no engine to pull it. "What's wrong, Toad?"

"It's Mr. Oliver, Ms. Twilight," he sobbed. "He's gone!" Twilight looked down at the rocks blocking the track and realized what he meant.

"Oh no! Oliver!" she yelled and ran to the mine before she started moving rocks with her hands. "Hang in there, Oliver! We're coming!"

"Twilight, don't bother," said Soarin.

"What would you have me do, Soarin? Leave a fine engine like Oliver to rust down there?" she asked.

"It's a mine, Twilight," said Soarin. "Not a cave. There must be another entrance around here somewhere. And we'll find it. And him. But first, we have to get back to the yard and regroup with the others." Twilight agreed and coupled Toad up to Thomas before they steamed back to the shunting yard.

"I'm sorry, Discord," said Butch. "But there's nothing I can do to speed up the repairs." And with that, he roared off.

"I cannot believe Flying Scotsman," said Discord. "To think he was supposed to be lead us. And Sombra managed to outsmart him _and_ Spitfire."

"Didn't he outsmart us too?" asked Paxton.

"Let's not get into semantics here, Paxton," said Fleetfoot. Then they looked to see Yong Bao and Thomas steaming in.

"Well, I hope they were more successful than us," said Diesel 10. But his hopes were dashed when they stopped.

"Quickly! You all have to come right away," said Thomas. "The mine was filled with dynamite and Oliver got trapped inside!"

"Oh no!" cried Phillip. "Poor Oliver." Then Twilight looked around.

"Is Flying Scotsman still trapped on the mainland?" she asked.

"Yep," said Discord.

"Typical," said Yong Bao. "Soarin and I should've been the ones to handle the bridge."

"Well, as long as he and Spitfire aren't in any danger, we should rescue Oliver first," said Thomas.

"Agreed," said Diesel 10 as Discord climbed aboard. "Let's go." Quickly, the engines raced back to the mine to find that a tunnel had already been dug out.

"Looks like someone beat us here," said Discord, surveying the scene, cane in hand. Then Twilight sniffed the air.

"Oil," she said. "That devious Diesel. He can't keep getting away with this."

"But it doesn't make any sense," said Phillip. "Why would he take Oliver?"

"I don't know, Phillip," said Thomas. Then Soarin realized it and looked around nervously.

"Oh, uh, he-he, did we forget to mention that Oliver is a part of Diesel's plan?" he asked. Everyone gasped. Fleetfoot realized it too and sweatdropped.

"Oh yeah, we did forget that, didn't we?" she asked. "Anyway, as far as we know, Diesel made a deal to some old ballast truck that wanted to get back at Oliver, or something like that, I dunno."

"A truck?" asked Thomas. Then it hit Twilight right between the eyes.

"Oh no," she said. In the shunting yards, trucks were gathered, martialed by the diesels, with Scruffy in front of a large pit of wet cement that Oliver, who had duct tape over his mouth, was dangling over.

"Welcome home, Ollie," said Scruffy sadistically. "Your new home, that is. In just a few hours, that cement will dry and you'll be stuck here forever." He gave an evil laugh as Oliver tried to call for help from under the tape. Scruffy taunted him, before going back to the trucks. "Many of you doubted me as your leader after my accident. And all of you were scared of this engine. But, those days are over! This is what happens to engines who mess with Scruffy." The trucks laughed at the engine's predicament as Scruffy turned his attention to Sombra and Diesel. "So what now?"

"You see those coal trucks over there?" asked Sombra, pointing to a line of Crovan's Gate Mining Co. trucks. "That's the last load of coal left in all of Sodor. All the other steam engines will be out of power soon enough." And sure enough, all over the island, even on the Mid-Sodor Railway, steam engines were running out of coal and stopping in the middle of the line. "And with that, diesel power will be able to take over the whole island."

"Wrong again, Sombra!" called Twilight. Sombra and Diesel looked and saw her riding up on Thomas with the other engines behind him, and a strange black mass strapped to her back.

"You lot again," growled Diesel. "Didn't you learn your lesson?"

"Yeah, never trust you," said Discord.

"Give us back Mr. Oliver," said Toad.

"Come and take him," said Scruffy.

"All right then," said another voice. Everyone looked and saw the other girls coming out of the work-shed nearby with shunters poles and crowbars in hand. "We will."

"Girls! Are you all okay?" asked Twilight.

"We're fine, Sugarcube," said Applejack, pulling twin revolvers out of her belt. "Now let's go bash some buffers!" Then some thugs came out of another shed, armed similarly to the girls.

"You guys get Oliver and stop Diesel!" yelled Sunset, hitting one of them in the stomach with her crowbar. "We'll cover you!" The engines quickly took action, shunting the trucks to move them. They tried to brake, but the engines were just too strong. Oliver was just starting to tip into the cement as the engines were moving up and the girls were beating their way through the thugs.

"You three!" Diesel yelled to Arry, Dodge, and Dart. "Stop them!" They quickly moved and pushed back on the enemy trains, but then Diesel 10 put his claw into play, throwing trucks off the line to clear the way.

"Diesel! Sombra! Don't just sit there, do something!" yelled Scruffy.

"Well, since you asked so nicely…" said Sombra sarcastically as he shot Diesel forward and buffered him up to the coal trucks.

"Hey! Where are you going?" yelled Scruffy.

"To finish the job!" said Sombra. Then Twilight saw the trucks.

"The coal! Girls, you can't let Diesel get away with that coal!" she yelled. "Thomas and Yong Bao are running low, and we need as much as we can get!" Then Phillip started running towards them.

"Don't worry, Twilight," he said. "I'll get them!" He ran as fast as he could and ran in front of Diesel, but the black engine just knocked him off the line, running the trucks through.

"Phillip!" called Diesel 10 in concern, before he growled at Arry. Thomas had opened up and was pushing with all his strength. Oliver was getting closer and closer to the cement when Applejack saw her chance.

"Rainbow! Sunset! Gimme a boost! I think I can save Oliver if I get up high enough!" she yelled.

"On it!" called the girls. They linked their hands and when Applejack ran into them, the two lifted her as high up as they could. Once she had the aim, Applejack pulled the trigger and her bullet sailed through the window, hitting the lever in that turned the crane. Once done, Oliver swung to one side, away from the cement and landed perfectly on the safer ground. Then Thomas pushed Scruffy through the buffers into the cement in his place. Applejack almost hit the ground when the other girls caught her and saved her.

"Bullseye!" called Pinkie in happiness.

"Yee-haw!" called Applejack, waving her hat in the air.

"Phillip! You okay?" asked Discord as Diesel 10 stopped next to the box-cab.

"I think so," he groaned. "But Diesel's got the coal trucks."

"We need that coal now!" said Soarin as Yong Bao steamed away. "I'm going after him."

"My thoughts exactly," said Twilight as Thomas reversed after him. "Girls, round up the thugs and take them to the police. We'll go get the coal back. Diesel 10, can you help Phillip and Oliver?"

"Of course," said Diesel 10.

"You can leave me behind, Mr. Thomas," said Toad. "I'll only slow you down."

"Right," said Thomas as he shunted the brakevan away and raced off.

"You should go too," said Phillip to Diesel 10. "They'll need your help."

"And leave you behind?" asked Discord. "Fat chance."

"It's okay, Discord," said Paxton. "I can look after Phillip for you. My class isn't very fast anyway."

"You're a good engine, Paxton," said Discord as he boarded his engine. "Let's get going, old boy. We've got a railway to save." Diesel 10 quickly agreed and rocketed after Thomas and Yong Bao.

Diesel and Sombra had already made good progress with the trucks when the two steamers roared up behind him.

"Hand over the coal, Sombra!" called Soarin as he and Fleetfoot climbed onto Yong Bao's bufferbeam with Berretta pistols in their hands. "Let's not make this any messier than it needs to be."

"Over my dead body!" yelled the criminal as he fired a 9-mil. pistol back at them. "This coal is for the smelters."

"The smelters?" asked Twilight, before it hit her. "He's going to burn all the coal in the smelting pits."

"Not on our watch!" said Discord as he and Diesel 10 surged ahead.

"Right," said Yong Bao and they all quickly sped up. Then they saw BoCo having trouble with a runaway up ahead. Diesel quickly switched off, but Thomas was still right in front of BoCo.

"Thomas, look out!" yelled Diesel 10. He quickly biffed the little engine over the points before he crashed into BoCo's train, derailing him.

"Discord!" called Twilight.

"Don't worry about us," he said, climbing out of his engine's cab. "Just go! Go!" But both the steam engines were almost out, so they had to stop.

"Why are we stopping? We almost had him!" said Twilight.

"No," said Yong Bao wisely. "We never would have caught him with so little coal. Here, take mine. There's only enough for one of us to catch him."

"Then you should take ours," said Twilight. "You're a lot better at this kind of thing than us."

"No Twilight, it has to be you," said Soarin. "Only you and Thomas can be the heroes Sodor deserves in these dark times. You have to be the ones to defeat Diesel and Sombra."

"But why?" asked Thomas.

"Because," said Fleetfoot. "We… don't actually know the way to the smelters."

"Oh," said Twilight with a strange tone to her voice.

"What?" asked Soarin.

"Nothing, I just thought you were gonna say we were the chosen ones or something like that, but whatever," said Twilight. Soon enough, the coal had been loaded into Thomas' bunker and he was running well, much faster than before.

"Man," she said, impressed at the fire. "That Chinese coal is really helping." Soon enough, they were at the smelter's yard, seeing the black smoke rise from the main chimney.

"They're inside," said Twilight. Thomas raced inside just in time to see the last coal trucks go off the edge into the smelting pit.

"No!" yelled Thomas. He tried to back away, but he was stopped by Diesel's buffers.

"Going somewhere, steamer?" asked Sombra holding a strangely shaped cane.

"Yeah," said Twilight, jumping down from the cab. "Right through you." Then she removed the black covering from the form on her back to reveal a red scabbard with an ornate handle at the top. She then pulled it out to reveal a long thin double-edged sword-blade which she pointed at the criminal, who seemed scared. "Chinese Jian longsword. You'd be surprised what Yong Bao keeps in his cab."

"Do you even know how to use that thing?" asked Sombra.

"I've done a lot of reading, and seen a lot of movies," she said. "So yeah. I'll take my chances." Then Sombra moved for his cane and drew an Excalibur fencing saber out of it.

"En Garde then," he said, knocking the blades together to goad her.

"Touché!" she said and the two then dueled away from their engines as Thomas ran forward.

"It seems only right that Sir Topham Hatt's number one engine should be here to witness such an historic event," said Diesel. "With all the most important steam engines damaged and the last of the coal destroyed, the age of steam on Sodor is finally over!" Then he charged up behind the engine. Twilight had dueled Sombra onto a pallet of rusted girders held by a crane over the pit, where he put a small cut in her leg and pinned her down under his sword as the blade drew closer to her cheek.

"I couldn't have said it better, Diesel," he said maliciously. "And once Sir Topham Hatt is back, he and the Earl will be the first to fall. So begins the age of King Sombra!" His blade drew closer and closer to Twilight's face.

"Wrong, Sombra," she said as Thomas stopped at an old set of buffers near the pit. "As long as there's a single steam engine still running on Sodor, the Age of Steam on the North-Western Railway will never end."

"Well, we can fix that quite quickly," said Diesel as he charged at Thomas. Quickly, the tank engine switched tracks and let Diesel run onward. He slammed on his brakes, but he smashed through the buffers and was left tittering on the edge of the pit. Sombra was so distracted by this, he loosened his pin on Twilight, allowing her to knock him off his feet, and leave him dangling from the pallet. Her escape slightly cut her cheek, but it would be easily fixed.

"Thomas! Thomas, help me!" yelled Diesel as he tried to get back on the track. "Please help me!" Thomas puffed forward and Twilight swung down with Sombra, his wrists wrapped in chains, to Thomas' bufferbeam.

"You're lucky we're so nice," said Twilight as she coupled Thomas to Diesel. The tank engine pulled as hard as he could, and finally managed to pull Diesel back to the tracks.

"Oh thank goodness. Thank goodness," said Diesel. "Thomas, I-"

"Save it for Sir Topham Hatt," said Twilight harshly.

"Thomas? Twilight?" asked the aforementioned controller, who had recently gotten back and seen the whole thing. "Diesel? What on Earth is going on here?"

"Oh Sir Topham Hatt, thank goodness you're back," lied Diesel. "Thomas was trying to push me into the smelting pit and-"

"Keep talking like that and we just might!" yelled Twilight as Thomas bumped him.

"Okay, okay!" he said hastily. "I confess! I confess! It was me, Sir! I'm responsible for all the accidents with the steam engines."

"And?" asked Twilight, holding her sword near Sombra's neck.

"And while you were away, I got rid of all the coal on Sodor," he continued. "And… And… I tried to push Thomas into the smelting pit."

"I find that rather hard to believe." said Celestia.

"Well, how about this?" asked Twilight, limping around with her sword-point in Sombra's back. "He wasn't alone. This guy helped him." Luna took one look at him and growled.

"You!" she fumed. Just then, the doors to the smelting shed were flung open to reveal Flying Scotsman, Spitfire, Yong Bao, Soarin, Axel, Fleetfoot and two other engines.

"Halt!" said one of the other engines in a German accent.

"Hello everyone," said Scotsman proudly. "Hope we didn't miss anything. The ferry took longer than usual, but-" He stopped when he saw the situation. He gave a nervous chuckle as he saw the whole thing.

"Didn't miss much," said Twilight. "Just Diesel's capture and confession." Back out on the mainline, Diesel 10 and Discord were still waiting when Phillip and Paxton pulled up with the breakdown train.

"Bout time," said Discord.

"Well, I needed to be rescued first," said Phillip as Diesel 10 was winched onto the flatbed. "Luckily, I'm still in working order. Just a bit of scuffed paint is all."

"I'm glad, Phillip," said Diesel 10. "Now let's go home." But instead of back to the waste dump, Diesel 10 was surprised to be welcomed back to the Dieselworks with open arms.

"There's just one thing that I still don't understand," said Phillip.

"What's that, Phillip?" asked Discord.

"What happened to Diesel?" he asked.

"Mhm-mm." shrugged Discord. As it turned out, Diesel had been put on a barge and sent out to sea, where after a long float, he bumped into Rickety.

Back at Knapford, Twilight was bandaged from the fight and resting on the platform with the girls when Thomas pulled in with a line of coal cars.

"Nice to see the railway getting back on its feet, eh old friend?" she asked.

"Indeed, Twilight," said Thomas. "Indeed." The two looked out at the clear blue sky, wondering what other adventures might befall them. Whatever happened, the North-Western Railway's engines and staff were more than ready to tackle it.


	14. The Steam Games

**You guys asked for it, and here it is. Sorry, I took so long. I just needed a respite from this story, but I'm back in the groove of it now. Just so you know, this next one is set after the events of "The Great Race".**

 **Ch. 14: The Steam Games**

The engines on the Island of Sodor and their partners love working hard, it makes them feel really useful. But sometimes, they also like to have some fun and games. Sir Topham Hatt doesn't normally approve, so when he called Henry, Gordon, Thomas, Phillip, Diesel 10, James and their partners to Vicarstown station, they were very surprised by what he and Miss Celestia had to say.

"The Steam Games have come to Sodor," said the controller. "You lot will be competing against a team of international engines and their partners." Henry, Fluttershy, Rainbow, and Gordon looked between themselves in surprise.

"Twilight, how have you healed up after your duel with Sombra?" asked Miss Celestia. Twilight then jumped down from Thomas' cab. Her duel with Sombra in the Smelters Yard had left her with quite a few scars, not to mention the need to wear a pair of thick black glasses, but otherwise, she was fine.

"Well, my scars hurt when I get them wet, but otherwise I'm fine," she said.

"Good, because you and Thomas will be the leaders of Team Sodor," said Sir Topham Hatt.

"Thank you, Sir," said Thomas proudly. "Which of the international engines will we be competing against?"

"See for yourselves," said Miss Celestia, and at that, a loud whistle rang out, and into the station rumbled Axel and the Flying Scotsman, as well as Ashima from India, Raul from Brazil, Frieda from Germany, and Vinnie from Chicago. (I know the wiki doesn't specify where Vinnie is from exactly, but judging from his accent and mannerisms, I think it's safe to say Chicago's his kinda town).

"Sheesh," said Discord. "Looks like we've got our work cut out for us." The next day, all the engines were at Knapford Station with Axel lining up at Platform 2. On the platform waiting for him, instead of any of the Wonderbolts, was a girl about Pinkie Pie's age with light amber eyes, hair three shades of green and wearing a prep school uniform. She was Pinkie's rival, Key Zest, from Crystal Prep Academy in Barrow-in-Furness, though everyone called her Lemon Zest.

"The theme of today is speed," said Nigel over the station p.a. "In our first event, one engine and one driver from each team will be timed as they race around the loop line. The engine with the fastest time wins the event for their team."

"Up first from the international team is Axel of Belgium and Lemon Zest of Crystal Prep," said Stan as Lemon boarded the large engine.

"Merci, thank you," said Axel to his fans at the station. "I love you all." Then Pinkie walked up to a block off to the side of the line with a checkered flag in her hand.

"On your mark…" she said. "Get set… GO!" Once the flag dropped, Axel shot out of the station, sending Pinkie's skirt up in the wind, which she barely managed to hold down. Axel was not holding back as he surged along the loop at full speed ahead, but once he reached one station, he started to slow down as people on the platform took his picture.

"What are you doing, man? Go, go, go!" yelled Lemon from his cab, determined to win. Once Axel was clear of the platform, he shot out of the station and skidded straight through Knapford, with a final time of 15 minutes, 32.863 seconds.

"Impressive," said Twilight looking at the time on the large screen near the line. Frieda was cross as Axel pulled in next to her.

"Why did you slow down at that station?" she asked as another girl climbed down from her cab. She was about Rainbow Dash's age and wearing the same uniform as Lemon, but she had bright orange eyes and hair three shades of blue. She was Rainbow's rival, Indigo Zapp.

"Well, if I went too fast, then the photos would've blurry," said Axel as Frieda and Indigo coughed at his smoke.

"Okay, I get that you like to keep up your image," said Indigo. "But in case you didn't notice, this is a race! And I wanna win it!" Just then, Gordon and Rainbow pulled up at Platform 2.

"Too bad you're not gonna get the chance," she said.

"And from the Sudrian Team, it's Gordon and Rainbow Dash!" said Nigel. The rest of the team whistled and cheered.

"Cmon Dash!" said Twilight. "Show 'em what you've got!"

"I plan to," said Rainbow as she checked the gauges. "All set. Let's do this!" Pinkie walked back up and raised the flag.

"On your mark… get set… GO!" she yelled and dropped the flag, sending Gordon roaring down the line. Gordon thundered around the loop with Rainbow busily shoveling coal into the fire to get it roaring high.

"Cmon big guy, we got this," she said. "We just have to beat Axel's time."

"I plan to!" said Gordon proudly as he roared through the countryside.

"Unbelievable!" said Nigel over the radio. "I don't think I've ever seen Gordon go quite so fast!" Rainbow checked and was shocked.

"He's right. We're just about to break your top speed of a hundred mph," said Rainbow.

"Incredible! It must be all those new parts," said Gordon, remembering that he had some new parts installed after he saved his brother from the iron bridge, including new traction tires on his wheels. "Either way, there's no way we're going to lose to Axel again."

"Damn right!" yelled Rainbow. And the express engine shot into the station and screeched to a stop a hair away from Axel's time with his time at 15 minutes, 23.004 seconds.

"Whoo-hoo!" yelled the girls as they ran to the platform.

"Yee-haw!" yelled Applejack as Rainbow jumped out and hugged them.

"And they've done it! The first event of the Steam Games goes to Team Sodor, bringing the score to 1-0," said Stan, as the scores went up on the board.

"Probably just home-field advantage," said Lemon. Indigo facepalmed at her friend's ignorance and walked back to Frieda, who then steamed away. Next up was a relay race, which the engines of Sodor already had plenty of experience in. Thomas, Twilight, Indigo, and Frieda stopped at Maithwaite as Henry, Fluttershy, and Vinnie went on.

"Hello," said Thomas kindly. "You're the leaders of the international team, right?"

"Ja," said Frieda. "Und you are the leaders of the Sudrian Team?"

"Yep," said Twilight. "So from a couple of team leaders to another, good luck." Then she offered her hand to Indigo, who accepted.

"You too. Chances are you're gonna need it," she said. Back at Knapford, James, Rarity, and the Flying Scotsman were lined up on Lines 1 and 2. In Scotsman's cab was Rarity's rival, a girl with cerise eyes and grayish mulberry hair with light raspberry streaks named Sunny Flare. Then Shining Armor's wife Cadence; a woman with pink, purple and gold hair walked up to the platform and held up the green flag.

"On your marks…" she said. "Get set… Go!" Once the flag dropped, the two engines roared out with the two engines keeping pace for a while.

"I say, Rarity," said Scotsman. "James' paintwork is looking rather splendid today."

"Why thank you Scotsman," said Rarity. "I just polished it this morning."

"Oh, I see," said Sunny. "Too bad it's about to be covered in our dust!" Then Scotsman surged ahead, taking the lead.

"Wait, what?!" asked James. The Scotsman laughed as he took the lead. James growled as he tried to pick up speed, but he was pushing himself too hard. Once Scotsman shot into Maithwaite, he slammed on the brakes and bumped Frieda.

"Auf Wiedersehen, Kleiner Thomas," she said and rumbled away. Twilight looked at her watch and then behind them.

"Ugh. Where are James and Rarity when you actually need them?" she asked. Right on cue, James slid into the station panting and bumped Thomas' buffers. Quickly, Twilight sent the little engine shooting along the line after Frieda.

"If my calculations are correct, Frieda may have more horsepower, which should equal more speed, but with your small size, you could get going faster if you hit top speed on a downward incline," said Twilight.

"Thankfully, we still have the bayside slope to worry about," said Thomas, remembering the line that led to the Norramby Branch line. It wasn't very high, but the rails were slippery enough from the spray of the sea that Frieda's weight worked against her enough for Thomas to catch up.

"Not bad," said Indigo. "For a little engine."

"Little engines can do big things, Indigo," said Thomas as the two moved buffer-to-buffer. "Especially when it comes to speed."

"We'll see," said Frieda. Then Thomas saw Vinnie next to Henry up ahead and got worried.

"That's not very nice," said Fluttershy, replying to something Vinnie had just said.

"What can I say, doll?" asked Vinnie. "I'm not a very nice engine."

"Oh, this is just perfect," said Twilight angrily. "I bet that's Sour Sweet in his cab too." Unfortunately, her suspicions were confirmed when she saw a familiar girl with purple eyes and pink hair streaked with light blue. Then Frieda bumped Vinnie.

"Less chatter, more chuff!" yelled Indigo.

"Okay, okay, we're going!" yelled Sour as Vinnie rumbled out. Quickly, Thomas slid in and bumped Henry, sending him out too. The two raced through the country until they roared up to Gordon's Hill where Vinnie started having trouble.

"Grr, this hill is so steep!" he growled.

"Not for us, it isn't," said Fluttershy as Henry roared up ahead.

"Just you wait, tree-hugger," muttered Sour. "We'll show you." On the way down, Henry applied the brakes to make sure he was safe at the crossing up ahead, but Vinnie just shot past at breakneck pace, laughing.

"Bubbling boilers!" said Henry. "He's like to have an accident going like that." Once he was down on the level track, Fluttershy opened the throttle and Henry shot onward as fast as he could. At the crossing up ahead, Bertie was waiting for passage. The gates opened a bit, but then Vinnie shot straight through and bulldozed them, roaring ahead.

"Outta the way, lobster!" he yelled.

"Goodness," said Bertie indignantly as Henry roared through.

"Sorry Bertie," called Fluttershy. Unfortunately, even with the crossing slowing him down a bit, Vinnie slid across the line just ahead of Henry. Back at Knapford, Frieda and Indigo were talking to them.

"Are you out of your minds?" asked Indigo. "You could've caused a major accident."

"Hey, don't put all the blame on me here," said Sour. "Vinnie was out of control. But she's right, big guy. You could've killed someone."

"Yeah, but I didn't, so quit yer whinin'," said Vinnie rudely.

"We're sorry, Twilight," said Fluttershy. "We slowed down early because of the crossing, but Vinnie just smashed it to pieces. If it weren't for his recklessness, they wouldn't have gotten that point." Indeed, the scores were tied up one-to-one.

"Don't worry about it Fluttershy," said Thomas. "That team is filled with rude, underhanded engines. And their partners aren't very nice either."

"And to think, we used to be classmates once," said Twilight. It's true. Before she came to Sodor and enrolled at Canterlot High School, she herself was a Crystal Prep Shadowbolt, going to classes with the girls on the international team. "But Thomas is right. I don't like that Frieda one iota."

"And tomorrow, we'll show them what we Sudrians can really do," said Thomas. The next day, Thomas and Twilight pulled into the shunting yard to get ready to participate in the first event, when Vinnie cut them off at a junction.

"Hey! Watch where you're going!" yelled Twilight. Then they heard a familiar puffing and a friendly voice.

"Thomas!" it said in an Indian accent.

"Ashima?" asked Thomas, looking. And there was the Indian tank engine who inspired him to go to the Railway Show. Then Twilight saw someone familiar in her cab. Her hair was almost like hers, but it was brilliant amaranth with a moderate purple and grayish violet stripe. Her eyes were dark purple and she was wearing a pair of black glasses with tape around the nosepiece, a black sweater and she had a patch on her skirt shaped like a crescent moon and three stars. Her name was Diana Dancer, but everyone, including Twilight, just called her…

"Moondancer!" she yelled as the two jumped down from their engines' cabs and hugged.

"Really sorry about Vinnie, Twi," said Moondancer. "He still hasn't learned anything from the Great Railway Show."

"Yes, we noticed," said Thomas. "I guess we'll just have to teach him another lesson." Ashima and Moondancer laughed.

"It is good to see you two again, Thomas," said Ashima.

"It's good to see you too," he said.

"You're not gonna be saying that when we kick your chassis in the shunting competition," said Moondancer. Twilight laughed.

"We let you win that one," she said. "This time, it's all us. Right Thomas?"

"Right," he said confidently. Later, the yard was set with the two tank engines set and ready.

"The theme of today's events is agility," said Nigel. "First up will be the single shunting challenge."

"Good luck, Twi," said Moondancer.

"You too, Moondancer," said Twilight.

"On your marks…" said Rainbow over her megaphone, flag in hand. "Get set… Go!" The flag dropped and the two shunters shot into the large array of trucks, shunting the trucks into large lines, Thomas' in front, and Ashima's, behind. Soon enough, they were finished shunting, but they still had to race to shunt their trains to a stretch of checkerboard track, which Thomas' train crossed first, turning the signal wired to the pressure sensors in the rails green.

"And that's it!" called Rainbow. "Thomas and Twilight win!"

"What a show!" said Nigel.

"So far, the Sudrian team leads the international team, 2-1," said Stan. "Can they make it back in the next challenge?" Then the two tank engines steamed back to the starting line.

"I told you this was all us," said Twilight.

"Yeah well, congrats Twi," said Moondancer. "You deserve that victory."

"Thanks, Moondancer," said Thomas. "You and Ashima sure did give us a run for our money though." The four laughed until Ashima heard Frieda clear her throat.

"A disappointing result, Ashima," she said. "Perhaps you should spend less time fraternizing with the enemy."

"Enemy? Isn't that a little serious, Frieda?" asked Moondancer. "After all, it doesn't matter who wins and who loses, it's how you compete that counts."

"She's right," said Ashima. "After all, this is a friendly competition."

"Yeah sure, but it's one I wanna win," said Indigo as she eased Frieda out of the yard. Later, the trucks were spread out again and James and Rarity, Diesel 10 and Discord, Phillip, Vinnie and Sour Sweet, Frieda and Indigo and Raul were waiting. In Raul's cab was a girl about Applejack's age with gray hair and purple eyes behind orange glasses. Practically no one knew what her real name was, so everyone just called her Sugarcoat.

"Now it's time for the second event of today; tag-team shunting," said Nigel.

"Each engine from each team will be responsible for shunting a different kind of truck into a train that will then need to be pushed across the finish line," said Stan.

"Try and make sure Vinnie doesn't do anything underhanded this time, okay Sour?" asked Indigo. "When we win, Frieda and I want it to be an honest victory."

"I'll do all I can, Indigo," said Sour. "Doubt I'll have much control over it though."

"First team, take your positions!" said Twilight with the green flag. Raul and Phillip rolled forward. "On your marks… get set… go!" Once the flag dropped, the two engines raced to the trucks, Phillip snagging a coal truck from in front of Raul.

"Ha! Too fast for you!" he said.

"I don't think so, senhor!" said the Portuguese steamer as he shot in front of Phillip and grabbed a coal truck for himself. Then they shunted the trucks to the end of the yard.

"Race you back!" said Phillip.

"You're gonna lose," said Sugarcoat. And she was right; Raul touched the buffers seconds before Phillip.

"Second team, go!" yelled Twilight. Diesel 10 and Frieda roared out, Frieda grabbing a tanker and cutting the diesel off at every chance she got.

"Y'know, for a diesel originally designed by Germans, you're not half bad, bolt brain," said Indigo. "Your efficiency could use some improvement though."

"I'll show you inefficient," growled Discord as Diesel 10 shunted the tanker to the train, but by the time he got back, Frieda was already there.

"Oh come now Discord," said Rarity. "Don't tell me you went easy on her because she's a girl."

"I did nothing of the sort!" growled Discord.

"Third team, go!" yelled Twilight. Vinnie rumbled out easily, but James shot out after him to win. The only cars left were a boxcar and the brakevan, but Vinnie called for more trash-talk to distract James.

"Oh look, it's another lobster," he said crudely.

"Who are you calling a lobster, field-goal?" she asked, referring to the metal bars over his face, resembling an American football mask. Vinnie growled and stuttered, losing ground and allowing James to cut him off several times, as he went back for the brakevan.

"Oh, so we're playing like that, are we?" asked Vinnie.

"Vinnie, don't you dare. I swear I'll pour maple syrup into your tanks," said Sour, but Vinnie wasn't listening. James had just grabbed the brakevan when Vinnie blocked his track, knocking James off the tracks.

"Hey! You can't do that! That's cheating!" said James.

"Oops," said Vinnie, faking it. "It was an accident. Honest."

"My left foot, it was," said Rarity. "You did that on purpose." But it was too late; Vinnie had shunted the boxcar and brakevan to the rest of the train and won the event, tying it up at 2-2. Later, back at Knapford, James had been rerailed and Applejack was helping Rarity pull the dents in his bufferbeam.

"That Vinnie is no good at all," said James. "How can you and Moondancer be friends with someone like that, Ashima?"

"We're not friends, really," said Moondancer. "More like teammates."

"Huh. Well, I for one would never be on the same team as someone like that," said Rarity haughtily.

"Ditto," said Applejack. "But on the up-side, he didn't bust ya up too bad. Just a few dents and some scratched paint."

"How can you say this isn't serious?" asked James.

"Oh brother," said Twilight, rolling her eyes. Just then, Frieda pulled in.

"There you are, Ashima," she said. "Let's go. We have to practice before tomorrow." And with that, she steamed off.

"Oh, okay then," said Ashima as Moondancer boarded her.

"See you later, guys," she said and the Indian Engine rumbled out. The next day was the final one of the Steam Games, and Thomas and Diesel 10 were headed to the Docks for the strength events.

"You are certain about this, right Twilight?" asked Discord. "Frieda ran circles around us in the last event." Twilight laughed.

"Relax, you'll be fine," she said. "Just don't let her get under your skin again."

"If you say so," said Discord. Down at the docks, the strength contest was about to get underway.

"Our first event today is the singles hauling competition," said Nigel. "Both engines will be coupled to a large heavy train, and the first one to get it across the finish line wins." Then Diesel 10 rolled in next to Frieda and Applejack's big brother, Big Mac, coupled him up.

"All set," he said and walked away. Then Discord leaned out the window and looked at Indigo.

"Um, Guten tag," he said unsurely. Indigo just looked the other way and shot pepper spray at him. "AH! MY EYES!" he yelled and quickly splashed himself in the face with a cup of water he had on his diesel's dashboard. "Ah… Much better." Cranky the crane laughed at seeing that.

"Oh, this oughtta be good," he said. Then he raised up Applejack on a pallet with a megaphone and green flag in her hands and swung her over the track.

"Alright boys, we all hooked up?" she called down to the dockhands who yelled up affirmatively. "Alrighty then." She raised up the flag. "On yer marks… get set… GO!" Once the flag dropped, both engines took off, struggling with their heavy loads.

"Say, don't you work at the dump?" asked Frieda.

"Sometimes," said Diesel 10. "We're usually on track-side scrap metal duty."

"I suppose it's lucky for you we're not working today," said Discord. Frieda stopped aghast at Discord's rudeness, allowing Diesel 10 to catch up, but only enough for them to be buffer to buffer, where they remained until crossing the line, where Diesel 10 made it first, but according to the rules, he wasn't done until his van crossed the line. He promptly made it so and won.

"Phew. That was hard work," said the diesel.

"Just be thankful it's over," said Discord. Then Thomas steamed up.

"Well done, Diesel 10," said Twilight as the two engines rumbled off. "We knew you had it in ya." Then Vinnie rumbled up to Frieda.

"Good going, Frieda," he said rudely. "Now we can't win."

"Oh, be quiet, du schweinehund," said Frieda crossly. "Just make sure you win the next event. That way, we will draw."

"Fine," said Vinnie as he steamed away. Later, the engines were chained together for the tug-of-war.

"The rules are simple," said Stan. "The first team to pull the red ribbon across their respective finish line wins the event."

"Everyone ready?" called Armor. "Heave!" The engines quickly shot back, pulling as hard as they could, their wheels spinning for grip.

"Pull harder, ya sardines!" called Vinnie.

"Cmon team," said Fluttershy. "We can do it!" Then Vinnie gave an extra-hard yank, breaking the coupling between Thomas and Gordon, sending Thomas smashing into Ashima, along with the red ribbon and the rest of the chain.

"Oh! Well, that was unexpected, but the international team appears to have won, tying the games at 3 to 3." said Nigel. "This has never happened before." Vinnie gave a triumphant laugh. "Well, with three points each, our two teams are irrefutably tied."

"To correct this, the Steam Games will run for one more day," said Stan. "To host a tie-breaker event."

"A tie-breaker?" asked Raul. That evening, Thomas and Twilight were getting their team ready at Vicarstown when Frieda and Indigo pulled in.

"Good luck, Kleiner Thomas," said Frieda. "This is a team event, und my team has won every team event so far."

"Not all of them," said Discord as he jumped out of his diesel. "Just everyone Vinnie's been in. And only because he's been cheating." The German engine growled and steamed away.

"Just ignore her, you two," said Diesel 10.

"How? She's right," said Twilight, sitting down on a bench at the platform. "She has a great team."

"Then we'll have to work together _as_ a team to beat them," said Thomas confidently.

"Right!" said the others.

"But what about Vinnie?" asked Twilight.

"Just leave him to Pinchy," said Diesel 10, clapping his claw shut as the American engine passed through the station. The next day, James and Axel were lined up at the starting line at Vicarstown.

"All six engines from both teams will be participating in a test of speed, strength, and agility," said Nigel over the speakers.

"Good morning, Axel," said James as he pulled up.

"Bonjour, James," said the Belgian.

"Just so you know, this time we're not going to let you win," said Rarity. Axel laughed.

"Let me win?" he asked. "You were already losing when you stopped to help the green one in our last race."

"Maybe so, but we won't have to worry about doing that this time," said Rarity. "So we're free to open it all the way up." Then Miss Celestia stepped up to the catwalk above the two.

"Engines at the ready!" she called and cocked her starter's pistol. "On your marks… get set…" Then she fired the gun and the two roared off. Out in the country, Axel was in the lead and he was barely even trying.

"Give it up, Mademoiselle Rarity," he called back. "Monsieur James will never be as fast as a streamlined engine like me."

"I don't need to be," said James as he roared up alongside.

"Don't you remember? _I_ was in the Great Race. _You_ were just in the Best Painted Engine contest, and you didn't even win." said Axel.

"Well, neither did you," said Rarity. "I remember that you placed behind Etienne _and_ Spencer." Up ahead, Axel biffed Frieda.

"Go, madam," he said. "Don't spoil this early lead."

"Hey! We're in charge here, buster!" said Indigo as she sent Frieda out. Fluttershy checked her watch in concern.

"Oh, where are they?" she asked. Finally, James slid in, exhausted, but he still managed to bump Henry into the race.

"Go get 'em, Henry!" he cheered. Henry's whistle bellowed as he roared through the tunnel and buffered up to a heavy truck of lumber. Frieda was struggling with a similar truck, but at last, they had both managed to get their trucks into a siding.

"Seems you've gotten a bit stronger since the Great Railway Show," said Frieda.

"No, just a little bit more confident," said Henry as the two steamed ahead, bumping Raul and Thomas. Quickly, the two engines raced down the line, until they reached a switchyard of junctions and trucks. Quickly, the two engines ducked and dodged their way through the switchyard, Thomas coming out first. At Crovan's Gate Station, Phillip had been telling Ashima and Moondancer about some of his (cough, cough) adventures.

"You sure are talkative, aren't you?" asked Moondancer.

"We've been asking him that since he first got here," said Twilight as she and Thomas roared in and bumped Phillip. "Now get going, Phillip." Quickly, the diesel raced out of the yard, letting Thomas, Ashima, Twilight, and Moondancer socialize for a few minutes.

"Knock it off, you adorer pássaros," said Raul, bumping Ashima. "We have a race to win."

"Oh, of course," said Ashima as she roared down the line. Phillip was in the yard shunting, confident he had already won, but then she raced in and bumped one car into a line of others, but Phillip had already left.

"Team Sodor has quite the lead now," said Nigel over the speakers. "Will the international team ever be able to catch up?" Frieda grunted in contempt.

"Ha!" laughed Phillip out on the main line. "I knew I was too fast for Ashima!" But then…

"Hello again, Phillip," said Ashima as she raced ahead.

"What? But… how?!" he asked shocked.

"News flash, pal: You're nowhere near as fast as you gloat," said Moondancer. Up ahead…

"So…" said Discord. "I heard you were rather unpleasant to our friend Phillip at the Great Railway Show."

"Oh yeah? What're you gonna do about it, twinkle-toes?" asked Vinnie. Then Diesel 10's eyes went wide and he looked straight ahead.

"Wow," he said.

"What?" asked Vinnie.

"Nothing, just…" said the diesel. "Nostalgia." Just then, Phillip and Ashima roared in and bumped the two into the race. Ahead of them were four trucks on each line, which they quickly shunted on the fly into two long lines. Diesel 10 had the lead, and Discord could sense that Vinnie was going to try and cheat again. Then he saw how.

"Watch the junction, boy," he said. Then Vinnie saw the points up ahead and chuckled.

"Oh no you don't," said Diesel 10 as he swung his claw down and whacked Vinnie's train off the tracks.

"Hey! That's cheating!" yelled Vinnie.

"Cheating a cheater?" Discord called back. "Seems fair to me!"

"See you later, blue whale!" yelled Diesel 10. Vinnie growled and bashed his way through the trucks in his way and roared ahead. Further on, Diesel 10 had dropped his cars and was running down the line as fast as he could. Once to the last station, he bumped Gordon and sent him and Rainbow on their way.

"Ha-ha-ha!" laughed Gordon proudly. "Excelsior!"

"Au Revoir, Scotty," yelled Rainbow. Finally, Vinnie banged into Scotsman and sent him after his brother. Sour, sensing the impending confrontation, quickly jumped from Vinnie onto the platform.

"Now as for you…" Vinnie growled. Unfortunately, he didn't get to complete his thought as Diesel 10 swung his claw around, grabbed Vinnie's right handrail and lifted him off the track, screaming.

"Do you really want to mess with an engine with a hydraulic claw?" asked Discord smugly. Diesel 10 had his claw drop Vinnie back on the tracks and clap a few times, scaring the engine off. Then Discord saw Sour.

"Don't look at me, I've been trying to get that guy to stop since the first event," she said. Further ahead, Scotsman had caught up with Gordon but was having trouble passing him.

"You know little brother, you really ought to race without the second tender," said Gordon condescendingly. "I think it slows you down."

"Couldn't agree more, Gordy," said Rainbow.

"Wh- What!?" asked Scotsman as Gordon pulled further ahead.

"See ya, Scott," yelled Rainbow. Just as Scotsman began spluttering into coughing, Gordon slid round the bend and skidded across the finish line. The crowds around the island cheered and the score went up to 4 to 3, Sodor's favor.

"Yes!" shouted Thomas and Twilight.

"Nien!" yelled Frieda. Moondancer ran up and grabbed her friend Twilight into a hug.

"Congratulations, Twi," she said. "Your team earned this victory!"

"Thanks, Moondancer," said Twilight. Diesel 10 and Discord rolled in and laughed, joining in the cheering.

"Huzzah! We've done it, old boy!" said Discord, hugging his engine. Everyone whistled and honked in happiness at their victory. That night, everyone was at Tidmouth Sheds talking about the excitement of the week.

"I'm surprised that Yong Bao didn't participate," said Thomas at one comment. "This seems like his kind of thing.

"It really does, doesn't it?" asked Twilight. Then the international team rolled in.

"Cmon Frieda, say it," said Indigo. The German engine sighed.

"So, uh, Kleiner Thomas…" she said. "I have to admit, you and your teammates sure are pretty efficient. For non-German engines."

Thomas chuckled. "Dankeschön, größer Frieda," he said in almost perfect German.

"Hey, not bad," said Twilight. "Say, why don't you come join us 'round the turntable?"

"Oh, uh, I don't-" Frieda's decision was already made for her.

"Sounds good to me," said Raul as he and the others rolled up. At last, Frieda rolled up and smiled with the others.

"So, you guys staying on Sodor long?" asked Rainbow as she oiled Gordon's joints.

"Not too long," said Scotsman. "Sir Topham Hatt made arrangements with our controllers to have us stay and help run the railway for a while. We should be gone sometime next spring."

"Sweet. That'll give us just enough time to get to know you guys," said Pinkie. "Please allow me to be the first to say welcome to the Island of Sodor." Everyone laughed and started sharing stories of their homelands and adventures.


	15. Thomas, Twilight and the Really Useful C

**I was hoping to do "Spooky Sodor" next, but I couldn't find any way to put those shorts into any sort of chronological order, so instead, here's this.**

 **Ch. 15: Thomas, Twilight and the Really Useful Crew**

The last mainline stop on the Island of Sodor is Vicarstown Station. Here, engines from the Mainland Railway take trains across to England. These engines sometimes stay the night in the Vicarstown sheds and go back to the mainland the next day. Though the sheds are a bit run-down, the engines never usually complain. But one stormy night, hardly anyone could get any rest.

"Y'know, I've got half a mind to talk to the controller about these sheds," said Spitfire, tuning the Flying Scotsman.

"Quite right," said Spencer. "An engine of my stature shouldn't be forced to sleep in an old shack like this."

"I agree," added Connor. "I'm normally not very fussy, but these sheds are in serious need of repair." Then he chuckled. "I'm glad I don't have to spend every night here like you, Gina." He looked over at the Italian tank engine who did look rather glum about her situation. Then the strong winds blew the shed-roof right off, letting the rain pour down on the engines.

The storm was just as bad on the other side of the island, and some of the other engines without proper sheds were forced to take shelter at Knapford Station. The glass canopy offered some protection from the rain, but the cold wind blew through the supports straight into the engines' faces, even knocking out the power.

When Sir Topham Hatt arrived at the station the next morning and saw how miserable everyone looked, he knew he had to do something.

"Ms. Celestia, call Ms. Jenny," he said.

"Right away, Sir," said Ms. Celestia. Later that morning, Thomas and Twilight were sent to take Jack and Alfie to Vicarstown Sheds.

"Do you two know what work we're doing at Vicarstown?" asked Thomas.

"Oh, it's very exciting stuff," replied Jack. "We're gonna be knocking down the old sheds."

"And then building bigger and better sheds in their place," added Alfie.

"Ms. Jenny says it's for both engines from abroad and from Sodor," finished Jack.

"That does sound exciting!" said Thomas.

"And important," said Twilight. "We'd better not keep the rest of the Pack waiting. Full speed ahead, Thomas."

"Right away," said the tank engine and he roared down the line to Vicarstown. Athe sheds, work was already well underway. Oliver the excavator had been fitted with his wrecking ball, and Ms. Jenny Packard was directing demolition herself.

"That's it," she said. "Easy does it. Ready, steady, swing!" Oliver released his wrecking ball and smashed down the wall, scattering the bricks, one of which hit him in the face.

"OW!" he yelled. Then Ned rolled up and scooped up the rubble as Byron helped move it into position.

When Thomas pulled in, Twilight was looking ahead and saw Vinnie roaring towards them on the line Thomas needed to switch onto. "Whoa! Look out!" she yelled. Thomas and Vinnie both locked their brakes, and Alfie tried to help by digging his shovel into the ground, but it was too late. The brakevan on Thomas' train slammed into one of Vinnie's trucks, knocking the girders on it off.

"Do you ever look where you're going?" asked Vinnie crossly. "Just cause you got a fancy number one on your side, doesn't mean you own the rails?"

"Us?! How about you look where you're going?" asked Twilight. "And FYI, maybe they should knock that number of yours up a couple notches."

"What? Why?" asked Vinnie.

"Isn't that the number of crashes you've caused?" asked Twilight smugly. Vinnie growled in anger.

"Why you little-!" he said before Ms. Jenny walked up.

"Goodness gracious me, what in the world's goin' on here?" she asked.

"Oh, uh nothing," said Vinnie quickly. "Just little Thomas causing trouble, as usual."

"And how about I tell your manager you cheated in the Steam Games and have you scrapped?" asked Twilight crossly. "Would that be trouble enough for you?"

"Besides, Vinnie caused this accident, not me," said Thomas.

"That's enough of that, all of ya," said Ms. Jenny. "I think it's safe to say accidents happen occasionally, no one's to blame. Now let's get this mess cleaned up. And be more careful in the future." Vinnie just roared off to collect more supplies. Twilight fumed as she knew he was leaving the clean-up to everyone else.

"That Vinnie," she growled as Thomas reversed away from the crash. "Watch out for him, Jack. He's nothing but trouble."

"Not to worry, Twilight, we're fine," said Jack as he and Alfie rumbled down the ramps on the flatbed.

"Better get to work," said Alfie. "Kelly should be along soon to help with these trucks."

"Okay. Have fun, you two!" said Thomas as the two diggers rumbled into the construction site. Later, the work was progressing. The old sheds had been ripped down, and the rubble was being taken away to the dup by the trainload.

The work progressed fast and soon, after many weeks of hard work, the new sheds were almost done, and they were magnificent. The whole structure was massive and painted bright orange with a galvanized steel roof, and a door on either side with a turntable almost twice the size of the one at Tidmouth in the middle of the structure, with twice as many tracks going in all directions.

One evening, Toby came into the yard with Applejack and Henrietta to take the workmen home for the night. They all boarded Henrietta and Toby was ready to leave until Applejack saw Thomas and Twilight struggling with a large train of trucks full of rubble from the demolition. The men had been meaning to have a bigger engine take this large shipment to the yard, but Thomas was the only engine available to shunt them to the sidings at the moment, and he was having a hard time of it. Then he whistled.

"Hey, Applejack! Would you and Toby mind helping us move these trucks?" asked Twilight.

"No prob, Twilight, we're comin'!" said Applejack and she eased Toby out of the sheds. The tram buffered up behind Thomas and the two engines pushed the trucks into the sidings. Then once the trucks were out of the way, Twilight heard a loud crash coming from another part of the yard.

"What was that?!" asked Toby. Then Applejack sniffed and smelled smoke. She looked up to the roof and saw a large plume of flames rising.

"The sheds are on fire! Sound the alarm!" she called. The bell quickly started ringing and the workmen ran for their lives. Then Toby gasped.

"Henrietta!" he called. Applejack realized he was right; they had left Toby's faithful old coach in the sheds! Just before anyone could do anything, Toby raced off to help his sheds.

"Toby, are you insane?! This is suicide for an engine like you!" yelled Twilight. Thankfully, she wouldn't have to worry about that, as Toby hadn't waited for the points to be set and jumped the track.

"Toby, are you okay?" asked Thomas.

"I'm fine!" called the tram. "Just save Henrietta!" Applejack quickly switched the points and Thomas ran into the sheds, knocking Henrietta out with one hard bump. Quickly, he followed her out just before the building came down.

"Thank you, Thomas," said Henrietta. "Thank you so much."

"Are you okay?" asked Thomas. Twilight inspected the coach carefully.

"She's a little singed, but she'll be fine," she said. "Which is more than I can say for the sheds." Thomas brought Henrietta back around to Toby, just in in time to see Flynn and Belle roar in.

"Stand back, everyone," said Flynn. "Leave this to the professionals." Then the two let the water roar from their cannons, but by the time they were done, they saw they were too late as the sheds had been reduced to ash.

"It's hard to believe," said Jack mournfully. "All our hard work, gone in just a few hours." Other engines were gathered, along with the rest of the girls and Thomas was very upset.

"How could this have happened?" he asked.

"Well, I can tell you one thing," said Rarity, looking around through a magnifying glass. "Going off what I've read in the "Shadow Spade" books, this burn pattern doesn't seem consistent with an electrical fire."

"So, it wasn't just a short circuit?" asked Rainbow.

"Of course, it wasn't," said Sunset. "Twilight and I checked the wiring ourselves."

"So then what caused it?" asked Henry.

"I think I might have the answer to that question," said Belle. Everyone looked and saw a burned-out broken barrel, and roasted chassis, with broken buffers.

"A tanker?" asked Fluttershy. "Wh-What was in it?" Applejack stuck her head into the tank and sniffed, coughing as she pulled her head out.

"Gasoline," she said, holding a red neckerchief up to her nose. "And the buffers are too bent for it to have been a shunting mishap. And this crack in the tank, this was intentional."

"Then I'd say it's a fairly standard arson case," said Rarity.

"Whoever's responsible will be in big trouble when Sir Topham Hatt finds out," said James.

"Not to mention the police," added Edward.

"But who could've done such a thing?" asked Percy sadly. Then Twilight heard a painfully familiar whistle.

"I think I have a pretty good idea," she said as Vinnie rumbled into the yard.

"Whoa! What happened here?" he asked. Everyone looked around at each other, then glared at Vinnie in an accusing way.

"You!" said Thomas.

"Me?!" asked Vinnie, confused.

"You did this, didn't you?" asked Twilight.

"What?" asked Vinnie and laughed.

"I don't know why I'm surprised," said Rarity. "You've been a thorn in our side since you arrived."

"He cheated in the Steam Games!" said Henry.

"He scared us last Halloween!" said Percy, remembering when he dressed up as a ghost train to spook them.

"And now, he's gone and burnt down the sheds!" said Alfie.

"I'm tellin ya, it wasn't me," said Vinnie.

"Well, this wouldn't be the first time you've lied out yer tender," said Applejack, pulling a revolver out of her bag. "Let's get 'em, boys!" The engines all advanced, boxing Vinnie into a siding.

"I'm telling you, it wasn't me!" said Vinnie. "I wasn't even on Sodor last night. I went to the Mainland to pick up supplies for your silly shed!"

"We don't believe you!" said James.

"I'm afraid we're going to have to," said Sunset as she put away her cellphone. "I checked it with Fluttershy's dad, and he confirmed it." Just then, Twilight heard puffing… from another engine.

"Wait a second," she said. "Who's there?" A tarp fell onto a form which quickly sped away. "Hey! Get back here!" She quickly jumped onto Thomas and the two raced after the engine. Twilight managed to catch a glimpse of four red drive-wheels under the tarp, so she knew they were dealing with a tank engine, but she didn't know who it was. Just then, George the steamroller rumbled onto the crossing ahead, whom the mystery engine bumped into before racing off.

"Hey! Watch out!" yelled the steamroller.

"Sorry, George!" called Twilight as she and Thomas raced past. Then they crashed into some trucks before Thomas started yelling after the mystery engine. Then they came up to a junction where The Flying Scotsman was barreling down towards them.

"Points!" yelled Twilight. The switches were quickly set and the two engines raced on.

"Sorry Scotsman," said Thomas. Finally, the chase was near its end as Twilight saw the bridge coming up in the distance.

"Ha-ha! We've got them now!" she said. And she was right. The mystery engine screeched to a stop just before the gate with Thomas stopping a few feet from them.

"Finally!" he said. "Now show yourself!" Twilight quickly jumped off and ripped the tarp off the engine, but the two were shocked by who it was.

"Gina?" they asked. Then the cab door opened and revealed an Italian woman with purple, pink and gold hair. Twilight recognized her immediately as her brother's wife, who also worked for Sir Topham Hatt.

"Cadence?" she asked.

"But why?" asked Thomas.

"I'm so sorry, you two," said Cadence. "We didn't mean it, you must understand that." Gina started sobbing.

"I've just been away from home for so long. And I told Cadence that," she said. "I miss Italy so much. So much that Cadence and I were distracted from our work last night. I wasn't paying attention to where I was going, or how fast I was going, so I crashed the tankers into the sheds and started the fire. And by the time I realized it, it was too late."

"Accidents happen, Gina," said Thomas. "You should've just owned up."

"We wanted to, Thomas, we really did," said Cadence. "But we were too worried, what with all the blame you were throwing around at the yard."

Gina said something in Italian and growled. "Part of me was relieved to see those sheds burned," she said. "I don't want your sheds to sleep in. I want to go home. To Italy."

"And you will," said Twilight. "Soon, no doubt. But you have to remember, those sheds weren't just for you, Gina. They were for everyone else on Sodor without a shed. And now because of your want to go home, they've lost theirs." Gina's weeping got worse.

"You're right," she sobbed. "I was such an idiota. But I will help put everything right. I promise."

"So do I," said Cadence.

"That's all we needed to hear," said Thomas. When they returned to the yard, Sir Topham Hatt was there and he was very surprised.

"Thomas? Gina? I don't understand," he said.

"Let me explain, Sir," said Cadence. "What happened to the sheds was an accident. Gina was just feeling homesick and she wasn't focusing on her work. But we're more than ready to get back to it and finish the sheds. Right guys?"

"Yes, ma'am," said Jack.

"Hey! Isn't anyone gonna apologize for pinning the blame on me?" asked Vinnie.

"Well, you did seem like the most obvious suspect," said Applejack.

"And you did seem averse to the entire plan," said Rarity.

"So, let's just say no," said Rainbow. Vinnie grumbled as he steamed away.

"Well, now that that's out of the way, let's do this!" said Alfie. Soon enough, the sight was all cleared up and a new shed building, almost exactly like the last was set up, ready to be opened.

"Well done, everyone," said Sir Topham Hatt. "I now hereby declare the new Vicarstown Roundhouse officially open!" Everyone whistled and cheered knowing all their hard work had paid off. Gina pulled the breakdown train out of the door and all the engines rumbled in.

That night, the place roared with laughter and conversation. The girls had decided to pay it a visit and were laughing while sipping on the coffee Cadence had prepared for them.

"They may have upgraded the sheds, but they've downgraded the company," said Spencer.

"Yeah, I don't think we're gonna be getting any sleep tonight," said Spitfire.

Gina laughed at a point in the story she was telling. "And let me tell you about that haunted mine!" she said, remembering last Halloween week. "So scary!" Just then Frieda rumbled in.

"Ah, there you are Gina," she said. "Make sure you're at Brendam Docks tomorrow morning by 9 o'clock sharp."

"What? Why?" asked Gina.

"It's time for us to go home," said Frieda. "Our work here is done."

"Oh," said Gina disappointed. "I-I see. Don't worry, Frieda. I'll be there." Frieda smiled and steamed away.

"So soon?" asked Molly sadly.

"It feels like we've only just gotten to know you," said Fluttershy.

"It's okay," said Gina. "Just make sure you save a berth for me." She chuckled. "I'm sure I'll be back in no time to visit." Then the revelry picked back up and continued all through the night.


	16. Rumbling Rails

**Ch. 16: Rumbling Rails**

It was a bright cheerful morning on the Island of Sodor, when all of a sudden, Vinnie shot through the countryside at breakneck speeds.

"Oh-no, oh-no!" he yelled. "This can't be happening!" He had overslept that morning and was running late for the ship home. He was so focused on getting home that he didn't see that the signal was red. Percy and Pinkie were up ahead with a freight train, and they were freaking out as they saw the oncoming Vinnie. Percy slammed on the brakes just before the junction to Brendam and Vinnie shot past him.

"Ugh! That Vinnie…" Percy said crossly. At the docks, Thomas and Twilight were puffing alongside Ashima as she and the others puffed backward onto the ship.

"We're gonna miss you, Ashima," said Twilight.

"I'll miss you too," said Ashima.

"Well, when do you think you'll be back?" asked Thomas.

"I don't know, Thomas," said Ashima. "Soon, I hope."

"So do we," said Twilight. "Heck, maybe we can even come visit you in India."

"That would be nice, but I'm not sure your controller would allow you away from Ffarquhar for so long," said Ashima. "It is the most important line, after all." Thomas gave a proud chuckle.

"Come on, you two!" yelled Raul from the ship. "It's time to go!" Cranky chuckled as he winched the Indian engine on-board. But it wasn't until they cast off that Frieda noticed something wrong.

"Wait a minute," she said. "Where is Vinnie?" Her question wasn't answered until the ship set sail away from the island when Vinnie came rocketing into the yard.

"Bon voyage, Vinnie!" Axel called back. Vinnie just stared out at the ship as Thomas and Twilight steamed back to work.

"NOOOOOOOOO…!" yelled Vinnie. Back at the old quarry, Sir Topham Hatt arrived with Ms. Celestia.

"Vinnie, you have caused serious confusion and delay," said the controller. "Your owner was most annoyed when I informed him."

"But-But it- it wasn't my fault, sir!" said Vinnie. "Honest! Raul tricked me!"

"Be that as it may," said Ms. Celestia. "Sir Topham Hatt and I have decided that you are to work here with the quarry with the other troublemakers on Sodor until we can figure out what to do with you."

"Now then, I want this quarry restored to working order by the end of the month," said Sir Topham Hatt. Then an old storage shed collapsed and sent up clouds of dust.

"Uh sir, I'm not sure it's wise to make a modern diesel like myself work in such a dirty environment," said Bowler the diesel. "The dust could clog my air intake."

"At least that'd be easier to clean out then an inspector's hat," said Sunset from Edward's cab, remembering the diesel's trial run.

"You will do as you are told," said Sir Topham Hatt. "Now get to it." Then he and Celestia boarded Edward. "Back to Knapford, Edward."

"Right away, sir," said the old engine and he steamed away.

"Oh, the humiliation," groaned Bowler.

"Quit your whining," said Vinnie. "If we have to work in this dump, we might as well do a good job." Soon enough, he, Bowler, George the steamroller, Scruffy and the Horrid Lorries were hard at work cleaning up the yard. After a few weeks, Sir Topham Hatt returned to inspect.

"Well, I must say I am impressed," he said. "You've all done an excellent job, and ahead of schedule too. Vinnie, Bowler, as a reward, I have a special job for you." Up at Ulfstead Castle, Stephen the antique engine was being loaded onto a flatbed to be taken to the mainland for display just as Vinnie steamed in.

"Now, be sure you take good care of him, Vinnie," said the Earl. "He's a priceless antique."

"Not to worry, sir," said Vinnie. "He won't leave my sight."

"Enjoy your trip, Stephen!" said the Earl as Vinnie steamed away. "I'll see you when I get there."

"This is exciting," said Stephen. "I haven't been to the National Railway Museum in years." Then he noticed Vinnie and didn't recognize him. "Oh! I'm sorry, we haven't been introduced. What's your name?"

"Uh, Vinnie," said the big engine. "And you are?"

"What?" asked Stephen surprised. "You haven't heard of me?"

Vinnie chuckled. "Nah, I'm just joshin' yah. Everyone's heard of you," he said. "Even us American engines." Bowler was waiting at Maron with a long goods train. He and Vinnie's special was to take Stephen to the National Railway Museum in York and then deliver the rest of the cargo elsewhere on the mainland. Soon Vinnie arrived at Maron, to find a very impatient diesel at the head of the train.

"Take your time," he said.

"Oh, be quiet you!" said Vinnie angrily. Soon Stephen's flatbed was coupled up and the two were ready to go.

"Ah! And who are you?" asked Stephen, referring to Bowler.

"Well, my number is D261, but everyone always calls me Bowler because of a rather unfortunate accident I had on my first day," he said. "At any rate, it is an honor to meet the original Stephenson's Rocket engine. Even if you are well and truly out of date."

"Oh. Well, it's nice to meet you too," said Stephen. "But don't judge a book by its cover. I'm very useful for an engine my age." Then Vinnie backed down on Bowler.

"Hey! Just what do you think you're doing?" asked the diesel.

"What do you mean?" asked Vinnie.

"I know the way better," said Bowler. "I should go in front."

"Well then, switch off and move up," said Vinnie. Bowler sniffed indignantly as they switched around. Later, Thomas and Twilight were at the depot shunting trucks when the goods train steamed through.

"What on Sodor?" asked Thomas.

"What are those two doing out of the quarry?" asked Twilight. "They can't be up to any good." Then they saw Stephen at the end of the train sound asleep. Thomas assumed they were kidnapping the old engine and raced off after them. Twilight checked the shipping order and tried to stop him, but too late. She found Percy and Pinkie up ahead and tried to explain, but Thomas gave Percy his idea of the story.

Up ahead, a lorry had just gone onto the crossing, but Thomas and Percy rammed into him and raced past.

"Watch where you're going, you silly steam engines!" the lorry growled.

"Sorry!" called Percy.

Stephen woke up from his nap and was confused. "What? Haven't we even left the island yet? Is this the fastest you two can go?" he asked.

"Oh, so you wanna go faster, do ya?" asked Vinnie.

"They don't call me the Rocket for nothing, ya know," said Stephen.

"Well, let's see if you can handle this!" said Vinnie and he opened up, rocketing down the line. Even later on, Thomas had crept up to the stationary train on the mainland and tried to wake Stephen up, but he was sound asleep. Thomas steamed up and uncoupled Stephen's flatbed from the train. The only problem was that the guard wasn't in the brakevan, as he had gone to tell the signalman the train had stopped. Once the cars were uncoupled, Stephen rolled down the hill.

"Oi! What's going on here?!" called the signalman. Thomas realized he had screwed up and raced down the hill to save the old engine. Then he, Percy and Henry, who had been roped in as well, were trying to fight Vinnie over the old engine, who explained everything as the three chased them.

"But they're taking me to the National Railway Museum!" he yelled.

"That's what I've been trying to tell you!" said Twilight.

"Wh-What?!" asked Thomas.

"Of course, what did you think was happening?" asked Stephen.

"Oh. Mistakes have been made," said Percy. Finally, the cavalcade arrived at York Station to find Sir Topham Hatt on the platform.

"Just what on Earth is going on here?" he asked. "Bowler? Vinnie? I thought I could trust you two after your work in the quarry, but apparently, I was wrong."

"But Sir-!" said Bowler.

"Don't just stand there, Thomas," said Twilight. "Say something."

"But, nothing!" said Sir Topham Hatt. "Racing about the mainland at unsafe speeds, missing signals? You two nearly crashed into the museum!"

"But Sir-!" said Vinnie.

"And as for you lot," said the controller, turning to the three engines at the end. "What exactly are you doing here?" Thomas stuttered, trying to find the right words, but Twilight just walked over to Sir Topham Hatt and whispered the situation to him

"Ah," he said. "I see."

"I'm sorry, Sir," said Thomas. "This whole mess was my fault."

"I am most disappointed with you three," said the controller. "It seems your partners are the only ones with any common sense in this situation, so they'll get off with a warning. But the rest of you have caused confusion and delay, and have embarrassed the North-Western Railway. I want you all to turn around and go straight home. You're to stay in your sheds until I say otherwise."

"But what about the rest of the train, sir?" asked Vinnie.

"I'll have to ask Flying Scotsman to take it," said Sir Topham Hatt. "At least that's an engine I can trust. Now off you go." After a lot of fussing at T-junctions and turntables, the five engines were steaming off back to Sodor.

"Hey Vinnie, Bowler," said Thomas. "I just want to say I'm-"

"Save it, puffball!" growled Vinnie.

"We don't want to hear it," said Bowler.

"But I-" Thomas couldn't finish as the two rumbled off the switch to the quarry. Once there, they rolled crossly into their sheds.

"Well? How'd it go?" asked Scruffy.

"Terrible," said Vinnie. "That blue puffball and his cronies ruined everything. They just can't help but get me into trouble."

"Ah, that figures," said Scruffy. "He probably did it on purpose."

"Well, we've all tried doing it their way," said Vinnie. "Maybe we should give them a taste of how we do things." Everyone gave a cruel chuckle.


	17. Sodor's 7

**Ch. 17: Sodor's 7**

After the mistake with Stephen, it had been hard for Vinnie to trust Thomas, Percy, and Henry, but other than that it was a fairly normal day on Sodor. Hugo the Schienenzeppelin (German for rail zeppelin) was going on his merry way while George was up ahead setting up cones to show he was working, but Hugo's propeller blew them into George's face.

"Watch it, birdbrain!" he called after Hugo. Later, James was working with Bowler in transporting a few cargo trains across the island.

"Keep up back there, you!" said Rarity. "We'll be late if you keep going like this."

"'Keep up'?" asked Bowler. "Why you impudent little girl! I'll show you just how fast a diesel can go!" Then Bowler shot ahead before he blew something in his engine and slowed down enough for James to catch up.

"Nice going, you silly diesel!" he said. "Now we're bound to be late!"

"Well, you've only yourself to blame," said Bowler.

"And what is that supposed to mean?" asked Rarity. Even later, Vinnie and the lorries were working to haul cargo from the quarry.

"Oy! Vinnie!" yelled Lorry 3. "Wanna race?"

"No way," said the engine.

"Come on, mate," said Lorry 2. Vinnie was so busy yelling at them he didn't notice the signal was red until he saw Thomas and Twilight coming towards him with a line of cars. Quickly, the two engines slammed on the brakes and stopped inches apart. The lorries roared ahead laughing at Vinnie's misfortune.

"Hey Vinnie," said Twilight. "As long as we're here, we just wanted to apologize for what happened last week."

"Yeah, well guess what?" asked Vinnie. "I ain't got time for you!" Then he rumbled away. That night in the yards, Scruffy was talking to some of the other trucks in the yard about his plan.

The next day, Thomas and James pulled into Knapford and Twilight and Rarity jumped off onto the platform.

"Good morning, sir," said Twilight. "You sent for us?"

"I'm afraid your delays yesterday were unacceptable," said Sir Topham Hatt.

"You were late too?" James whispered to Thomas.

"We almost crashed into Vinnie," he replied. "You?"

"Bowler broke down," said James.

"Now as you know, nothing makes me prouder of my engines than when they run to time," said Sir Topham Hatt. "Such as Hugo." The others looked over to platform 5 and saw the rail zeppelin resting his wheels.

"Guten Morgen," he said kindly. Thomas and James were cross as they rolled through the countryside later that day with Hugo behind them.

"I might've known Vinnie was involved with you two," said Rarity.

"That isn't exactly fair, Rarity," said Twilight. "We still have to make things right with him, about what happened with that runaway. Trouble is he won't let us."

"Runaway?" asked Hugo. "That sounds so exciting! I'd love to go on an adventure like that."

"Take it from me, Hugo," said James. "Adventures mean one thing and one thing only; scratches to my splendid red paint." Twilight rolled her eyes at James, but Thomas just made up his mind.

"That's it!" he said. "I'm going to see Vinnie at the quarry, and say sorry properly, whether he likes it or not." Then he raced off.

"Oh wonderful," said Rarity. "If those two troublemakers are involved, we'd best go with him, James." The red engine agreed and roared after Thomas.

"Trouble?" asked Hugo. "That sounds like an adventure. Wait for me!" And the rail zeppelin roared after the two engines. At the quarry, Vinnie was yelling at the lorries again for making him late.

"Not our problem," said Lorry 1.

"Looked like you could keep up," laughed Lorry 2.

"Yeah, just like Captain Breakdown here," said Lorry 3, bumping Bowler.

"'Captain Breakdown', am I?" the diesel asked indignantly. "Why, it'd be better if there were no roads on Sodor at all."

"No roads, huh?" asked George as he rolled in. Bowler stuttered to try and rephrase that, but then Scruffy spoke up.

"My friends, why are you all blaming each other?" he asked. "Vinnie, who forced you to stop?"

"Oh, that blue puffball again," said Vinnie.

"And George, who messed up your hard work?" asked Scruffy.

"That new engine, Hugo," said the steamroller.

"And I broke down because of James," said Bowler.

"Yeah, yeah," said Scruffy. "So you see none of you were at fault. It was Thomas, Hugo, and James. And Oliver."

"What do you mean?" asked Bowler. "Oliver wasn't there."

"Ah, he ripped me in half once, so I basically hate his guts," said Scruffy. "So why let those other engines get under your paintwork? Vinnie, you're a strong kinda guy. And George, you're no slouch either. And you lorries are ducks in a row."

"And what of me?" asked Bowler.

"Well, no one does understand how useful you are, do they?" asked Scruffy.

"Oh, how true," said Bowler conceitedly. Soon enough, Thomas, James, and Hugo rumbled into the quarry yard.

"A quarry? Is this where the adventure happen?" asked Hugo.

"Sure. Why not?" said James sourly.

"Coming through," said Oliver as he up to Hugo's junction.

"Oh please," said Hugo. "You go first."

"Cheers, mate," said Oliver as he rumbled off before Hugo flew in after him. When the first two engines arrived in the yard, Thomas found it hard to speak.

"Um, hi everyone," he said. "So uh, I just wanted to apologize properly, Vinnie. For that business with Stephen?" Vinnie was confused but listened. "I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions, and I'm sorry I got you in trouble."

"You are, huh?" asked Vinnie. Just then, Oliver steamed into the yard, prompting Scruffy to speak.

"Don't listen to them," he said. "Never trust a steam engine!"

"Hey, I'm a steam engine!" called Vinnie. Then Hugo pulled in, and his propeller wouldn't stop spinning, causing dust and rubble from Oliver's train to fly through the air.

"You have insulted me for the last time!" said Bowler. "Honor must be avenged! Get them!"

"Uh-oh," said Twilight.

"Now might be a good time to retreat," said Rarity as the lorries attacked. Quickly, the engines dodged the lorries until one of them caused a rockslide, and once the dust cleared, the quarry was reduced to a dirty mess. At last, Ms. Celestia arrived on board Winston.

"Vinnie, what on Earth just happened here?" she asked. "Thomas, don't tell me you're still fighting with him."

"Of course not, ma'am," said Twilight. "We came here to apologize, but then they just went berserk."

"Vinnie, Bowler, George, Lorries!" said Ms. Celestia. "I want you all to head to the Crovan's Gate Coal Mine. Sir Topham Hatt has work for you there with Oliver and Duck. Those two ought to keep you out of trouble."

"But ma'am-" started Vinnie.

"I don't want to hear it, Vinnie," she said. "Now then, Thomas and James, once the mine's opened, you can help with coal transport, but no more trouble with Vinnie, understand?"

"Yes sir," said the engines.

"And Hugo?" she continued.

"Ja?" he asked.

"You'll be needed there to transport the miners," she said. "Understand?"

"Jawohl, meine Dame," said Hugo.

"Good," she said. "That's all for now. Now get to it." And with that, she drove away. Vinnie seethed in rage. Just then, one of the lorries hit the hopper nearby and knocked it over, making it fall on Vinnie.

"Ooh!" cringed Twilight. "You're gonna need a blowtorch for that one." Much later, Thomas, Twilight, Rarity, and James were at the mine talking with Oliver and Duck.

"What, so the mine's reopened already?" asked Thomas.

"Seems like only yesterday Oliver was trapped in there by a landslide," said Twilight.

"Reopened and ready to start shifting coal again," said Duck.

"Vinnie and his crew did a really good job of fixing this place up," said Oliver. Then Twilight heard a familiar puffing coming from the mine.

"Speak of the devil," she said as Vinnie steamed out of the main cave.

"Morning Vinnie," said Thomas. "We just heard what a good job you guys did fixing up the mine."

"Yeah, and so…" said Vinnie, not getting it.

"So… Nice work," said Twilight. "That's it."

"Yeah well, it's no thanks to you," said Vinnie. "I always do a good job. Nice to see you finally notice, puffball." And with that, Vinnie steamed angrily away. Twilight watched after him before she turned to Rarity.

"You think his manager would mind if we scrapped him?" she asked.

"I think he'd be shocked if we didn't," said Rarity candidly. A few minutes later, Hugo had dropped off the workmen and he buzzed into a siding, but the wind from his propeller blew some stones loose from the hillside and he panicked.

"Rockslide!" he yelled and zoomed into the mine, where Thomas and James were just coming out with trucks loaded with coal, and Rarity was not having fun with this work.

"I simply detest working in a place like this," she said. "I just had my nails done and now we have to do coal-work?"

"Relax Rarity," said Thomas. "Coal may be filthy, but it's still useful."

"I suppose, but still the dust is ruining my manicure," she said, looking at her nails. Just then, Hugo rocketed past them.

"Whoa! Hugo?" asked Twilight. "Watch your speed down here, it's dangerous." The two steamers stopped as Hugo rolled back up.

"Oh Thomas, I'm sorry," he said. "Sometimes my propeller seems to just cause trouble."

"Don't be silly, Hugo," said Twilight. "Every engine has something that makes them unique. Harvey has his crane arm, Porter has his domes, and you have your propeller. It's just what makes you useful, that's all."

"But it's not enough just to be useful," said Hugo. "I want to go on an adventure." Back outside, the lorries were talking to Scruffy.

"Oy! What was all that hollering?" asked Lorry 2.

"It was that new engine, Hugo," said Scruffy. "I think he got spooked by some loose stones."

"That dumb pinwheel," said Lorry 3.

"Yeah," said Scruffy until he had an idea. "Say… are you guys thinking what I'm thinking?" Back in the mine, Hugo was still talking to the others.

"I'm sure you'll have plenty of adventures on Sodor, Hugo," said Thomas.

"I hope so," said Hugo. Just then, the lorries slowly rumbled in, and all at once they shouted… "ROCKSLIDE!" Hugo's propeller then went berserk and sent him flying into the mine.

"Hugo, wait up!" yelled Twilight as Thomas and James chased after him. The lorries laughed at their trick and watched the chase. Hugo was riding rough and accidentally knocked down a support beam before a tarp flew onto his face, blinding him and making the men think he was a ghost. But that wasn't the worst thing; the mine-track ended further down the tunnel, and Hugo still wouldn't stop.

"We have to stop Hugo, or he'll crash," said Twilight.

"How? He doesn't have any coupling hooks," said James. "I can't hook up to him."

"We'll have to think of something else," said Twilight as Thomas switched onto James' track. Further down the tunnel, Oliver was on his way out whistling a little tune to himself.

"Watch out!" yelled James as both trains stopped.

"What on earth are you doing?" asked Oliver.

"Hugo got spooked and blinded, and we have to stop him before he crashes," said Thomas quickly.

"Ah. Righto then," said Oliver as he went back down the tunnel. "I have an idea." Quickly, the cavalcade raced down the tunnel ahead of Hugo, switched onto his track and stopped, letting him bump into Thomas' buffers, whereupon all the engines hit their brakes as hard as they could, stopping just barely before they hit the barrier.

"Hey Hugo," said Twilight as she pulled the tarp off his roof.

"Oh! Hello Thomas," he said meekly. Thomas and Twilight smirked at the engine. "Are we safe from the rockslide?"

"What rockslide?" asked Twilight. Later, everyone exited the mine with Hugo feeling sorry for himself.

"I guess I'm just not cut out to have adventures of my own," he said.

"Don't feel bad, Hugo," said Rarity. "That could happen to anyone."

"Ja, but… it always seems to happen to me," he said sadly.

"Lucky thing we hit you, Oliver," said Twilight. "That was a great plan." Scruffy's plans had been foiled again, but the next day, Vinnie found Bowler and Lorry 2 bringing a large shipment of dynamite to the mine, on Scruffy's orders. He didn't think too hard about it and left them, but then he realized Scruffy was going to blow up the mine and everyone in it, so he raced off. One of the workmen was confused.

"You're positive I'm supposed to blow the mine, Scruffy?" he asked.

"Orders from the controller," said the truck. "They need to dig a new pit in the mine, so this one needs to go down."

"Righto then," said the workman. But George was worried.

"But Bowler and the lorries are still down there," he said.

"No they're not George, they uh… left earlier," lied Scruffy. Just then, Vinnie and Hugo (who he explained the situation to) roared in too fast for the others to see.

"What was that?!" asked George.

"Nothing," said Scruffy. "Blow it." Down in the mine, Vinnie whistled to the others to warn them and quickly explained about Scruffy's plan.

"Okay, I knew that truck was trouble, but this is just too far," said Twilight. "We gotta get outta here!" But it was too late; the dynamite went up and the mine started going down.

"Everyone follow me! Now!" yelled Vinnie as the engines raced out of the mine as fast as they could. Rubble fell everywhere and blocked the line ahead, but Vinnie and the lorries dealt with it easily, but eventually, they were trapped in a cloud of dust they could barely see through.

"Now what? We'll never get out now!" said Bowler.

"Oh yes we will," said Hugo confidently. He locked his brakes and spun his propeller, blowing the cloud out of the way clearing the way for the others.

"Well done, Hugo!" said Thomas as they all raced onward, but then a huge boulder landed on the track ahead. Vinnie put his buffers to it and pushed as hard as he could, but it barely even budged. Quickly, the others buffered up and pushed for all they were worth.

"So I know this is probably the definition of bad timing, but again, we're sorry about what happened with Stephen," said Twilight.

"You're right, that is bad timing, but it's okay," said Vinnie. "Just get us outta here alive, and you're forgiven."

"Deal!" said Twilight as the boulder finally rolled off the track, allowing them to race to the mine's entrance, but just before they made it out, rocks fell from the overhang and blocked it. Bowler screamed for all he was worth, and George heard it perfectly.

"Scruffy, you snake!" he growled. "You tricked me!" Quickly, he worked his flattening magic on the rubble and cleared the line for the others to escape, before the entrance caved in the rest of the way. Then…

"I don't believe it!" said Sir Topham Hatt from the platform.

"That man has impeccable timing," said Rarity.

"Uh, this is a long story, Sir," said Twilight. "See-"

"What a coincidence," interrupted Sir Topham Hatt. "I came here to tell you that the mine needed to be dynamited in advance of a new one being dug, but you've already done it." Everyone was dumbstruck.

"Say what?" asked Twilight.

"You're all really useful," he said. "Now then, the new mine is across the island at Kildane, so I'd suggest you hurry to work." Then he boarded Winston and drove away.

"So Vinnie, we good?" asked Twilight.

"Yeah," he chuckled. "For now."

"Good, because all things considered, I think I need a shower," said Thomas.

Vinnie laughed. "We all do," he said, and the others laughed as they steamed off to the washdown. Back at the quarry, the engines had just shunted Scruffy into a one-way train to the mainland. He said he'd be back, but they doubted it. Unfortunately, they didn't know he would find himself allying with Diesel and Sombra, who had escaped from prison again.


End file.
